A Star in the Storm
by Brightstar's Promise
Summary: Stormkit refuses to accept her mother's leaving at first, but realization suddenly dawns on her. Confusion turns to anger, anger to depression, and depression into desire for revenge. An evil is growing in Stormkit, and it is doubtful she will fight it.
1. Gone For Good

_**Star in the Storm.**_

_**Prolouge**__: Gone for Good_

_**PoV: Stormkit- Little over One Moon Old. **_

"_Evil is made, not born. "_

It got really hot during Green Leaf. I mean really hot, even at night. The good thing about this time of year is that the stars are bright and the sky is clear. I was sitting outside on my rock, looking at them. All I wanted is for them to talk to me, just like in the stories that Brownfoot told me and Creamkit, and sometimes Darkkit.

My favorite story is the one about Thunderstar, my hero. He was so brave and noble, and he started the Warrior Code. Brownfoot said that the Clans would have spit a long time ago if there were no Code to go by. Anyway, Thunder and Wind and River and Shadow were fighting you know, and then the first StarClan warriors came down and told them to unite or die. And they did. A wonderful tale!

"Hello?" I said to the inky black sky. "Could you speak to me please, sky warriors? Thunderstar?" The wind blew. "I just wanted to say that you are the greatest leader ever and I want to be just like you went I grow up!" I knew that would be a while. I was only two moons old. But still, I have so much to look forwards too!

Behind me, I heard my sister. Her name is Creamkit because of her fur. She has really pretty fur, white like snow. Pretty eyes too, just like Mother's. "What are you going out here?" she asked. It was late and Mother had ordered us to go to sleep.

"I'm trying to talk to Thunderstar," I said, not taking my eyes off the sky.

"Do you think he's gonna talk back? Icewhisker said that 'StarClan speaks though nature,' whatever that means. I think it means that they aren't just going to talk to you." Creamkit was always the smartest. "Maybe the stars will dance for you if they're listening."

"I've never heard of that before, but that would be really neat," I finally looked away from the stars. "One day, I'll be just like Thunderstar. And I'll talk to StarClan whenever I want to." Creamkit smiled.

"You'd be a great leader, Stormkit." (They called me Stormkit for my fur; it's dappled gray like little storm clouds.)

"Thanks," I purred. "We better get inside. Mother is sure to be worried." Creamkit agreed and we both scrambled into the nursery.

* * * *

I woke up the next morning with only one thing on my mind. Food.

I was curled up in the curve of Icewhisker's belly. I didn't know how I got there; last I checked, I was sleeping by Mother. Creamkit was next to me, and Darkkit, Icewhisker's son, next to her. "Where's Mother?" I asked, still tired. Icewhisker purred and licked my head.

"She'll be here in a minute." I really like Icewhisker; she was a very kind queen and took good care of me and Creamkit when Mother wasn't here. Mother was busy a lot. Darkkit was also a great play-mate. He was older then us though, so he could get a little rough. He was my best friend.

Creamkit woke up next and also asked where Mother was. Something about Icewhisker seemed off for a second, but I'm sure it was nothing. Darkkit woke up and yawned. "Frostclaw isn't coming," he said. "Could they just share some of your milk, Mom?" Icewhisker placed her tail over his mouth.

The rest of the day we played. Darkkit showed use how to pounce on a moss balls and hunt bugs on the grassy corner of camp. "Kits!" It was Icewhisker's voice. "Come here!" I was glad to hear that; I was surely hungry.

We all ran up and she nosed us into the nursery. She let use have some milk ('I have more then enough,') and we were all soon asleep. Well, almost all of use. I wasn't tried yet. I missed Mother, even if she called us strange things under her breath. Like 'accidents.' That was one of her favorites. I didn't know what it meant, but it just made me work harder to be better. Creamkit had smarts and beauty; I hadn't found anything 'special' about me yet.

After a while, Icewhisker got up and looked over us carefully. Everyone else was asleep, so I closed my eyes and pretended. She didn't seem happy for some reason, maybe she knew I was awake…

I heard paw-steps outside of the nursery and smelled Mother. I wanted to get up and greet her, but something, maybe the StarClan warriors, told me to keep quiet. I was curious though. I pulled myself to my paws and crept over the nursery entrance and hid there. The first voice I told was Icewhisker's.

"Where have you been?" She sounded angry. What was wrong?

"Hunting," said Mother. That was a perfectly good answer, so why was Icewhisker still so mad?

"What about your kits? Who will care for them while you fool about all day?"

"That is why there are two queens in the nursery." That's not what Icewhisker had taught me…

"Don't you realize that you're hurting them?" Icewhisker and Mother were now standing about a fox length apart, claws unsheathed. How rude; arugments shouldn't be settled with claws and teeth.

"I'm not hurting them; I have a life too. Unlike you. All you have to do is raise kits because you are a pitiful warrior." Her words sounded hurtful, but I still didn't get it. What were they talking about?

Then, Icewhisker rushed at Mother. They flipped around the clearing. I ran out. "Stop! You're going to hurt each other!" They suddenly stopped and froze. Mother came up to me, hissing. What did I do?

"Get back in the den." She commanded.

"Icewhisker said to talk nice if you want something." I answered. Then, claws like ice slashed over me, right above my eye. I fell back and rolled a bit. Creamkit and Darkkit ran from the nursery as well. Darkkit pounced on Mother and clawed her up quite a bit until he was thrown too. Mother turned back to Icewhisker. I couldn't describe what her eyes looked like; for once, they looked nothing like Creamkit's.

Icewhisker and Brownfoot grabbed me and my sister and ran for the medicine cat's den. Darkkit followed. We stayed in the den for the rest of the day, far away from camp, until Icewhisker came to get up. "Come, kits," I followed her. Every cat in the camp stared at me.

"Where's Mother?" I asked for the second time that day.

"Gone," said Icewhisker. "She's gone for good."

* * *

**I was going to write in third person, but I thought I needed to practice in both forms. Review please! Not sure if I'm going to contiue.**


	2. In Which Stormkit Speaks to Brownfoot

A Star in the Storm

**Chapter One**: In which Stormkit speaks with Brownfoot.

"_In youth we learn; in age we understand.__" -- __Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbac__h_

I woke up the next morning curled up between Icewhisker and Creamkit. Creamkit was snoring. To my surprise, Darkkit was already up. He was standing by the den entrance, looking outside. "Good morning," I said.

"Good morning, Stormkit," He sounded happy about something.

"Why so cheerful? You aren't much of a morning cat." He smiled at me. He had deep, beautiful blue eyes and I love the way they sparkled when he was happy.

"Only haft a moon 'till I'm an apprentice! I'll finally be out of this den and…" He stopped when he saw my face. I know I should have been happy for him, but I really wasn't. If he was an apprentice, he would have to leave the nursery and live in the other den with Poppypaw, (Poppypaw was two moons older than him and didn't even want to be a warrior, but a medicine cat), Blazepaw and Tinypaw.

"You'll still come over here and play with me, right?" He licked my ear.

"Sure, I'll play with you every day until you're an apprentice too." That still didn't comfort me as much as I hoped. Creamkit was a great sister, but she was just that-a sister.

"And you'll be my friend too?" He laughed at me this time.

"Of course! You'll always be my best friend, Stormy." A grin tugged at my lips. "Now come on, let's play." I almost called for Creamkit, but I decided that I wasn't. I wanted it to be just me and Darkkit. (Or Darkpaw…maybe I should go ahead and get use to calling him Darkpaw.)

He got a moss-ball from the other side of the clearing where we had left it yesterday and we batted it back and forth for a while. We raced and played and messed around for what seemed like hours. Until Poppypaw, the one that we were talking about earlier, came around. Suddenly, Darkkit stopped. "Hey," he said. I batted the moss-ball to him but he didn't seem to see it.

"I heard that you're about to be an apprentice." She said. Haven't we talked about that enough for one day.

"Yep," said Darkkit. "Only half a moon left." I meowed quietly to get his attention, but he didn't hear.

Poppypaw started to lead him away to the other side of the clearing. I wanted to follow, but I decided just to get back to playing. He would be back soon enough.

I love moss-balls, but they are no fun at all when you don't have anyone to play with. I pranced around the nursery clearing, but soon started to stray farther and farther away until I came to the great bramble wall.

I had never seen the great bramble wall up close before, and it was amazing. I mean, it had to touch the sky! I ran on its edge for a moment then touched it with my paw. It pricked me, so I jumped back. I still liked it though.

I touched it even more lightly this time and it didn't hurt me. I batted it lightly with my paws, careful not to touch the thorns. Then, something came to my attention. A whole.

Sure enough, there was a hole in the brambles. It was small, though I could squeeze threw it if I tried. Maybe a rat made it… I stuck my head inside.

Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me. "Stormkit, what are you doing?" It was Darkkit. Good, he was back from talking with Poppypaw.

"I found a hole in the wall," I said. He inched me over and took a look for himself.

"It's tiny though; nothing to worry about." I shrugged and followed him back to the nursery clearing, where we finished up our play session.

* * * *

Later that day, we were both resting in the nursery. I had been wanting to ask Icewhisker this all day, but she wouldn't answer. She never did. "Where did Mother go?" I finally asked Darkkit. Unlike Icewhisker, he didn't cringe and avoid me. He just looked me in the eyes, calmly, and tried to explain.

"She left," That wasn't a good enough answer. Cats don't just leave. And why would she leave anyway?

"Where did she go?" Darkkit had been there; he should know this.

"Back to her birth Clan."

"Why?" He was starting to do that thing that Icewhisker did now.

"Your mother just wanted to." That word, 'Mother.' It hurt. I can't describe it, but it did. Not like when you trip and fall while playing, but different. It was in my heart.

"She didn't want us, did she?" Darkkit had never looked so distressed.

"It's hard to explain, Stormkit." And hard to understand. What did I do wrong? I wasn't smart like Creamkit, or beautiful, but I was intelligent enough to breathe on my own and pretty enough that sometimes others smiled at me when I walked past. Did Mother want perfection?

"I understand…" I finally mewed. That aching-heart pain still wasn't going away.

* * * *

That night, I stood beneath the stars again on my rock. Icewhisker was completely asleep, and so was Creamkit, so there would be no one out to disrupt me. "Thunderstar," I said. "I have something really important to say to you," Everything was completely still and all was quiet. Then, a light brighter than any other seemed to fill the sky.

It shot past me with incredible speed and seemed to fall to earth far beyond ThunderClan. I didn't know what it was at first, and then I struck me. A falling star. A StarClan cat had just fallen and landed hard on earth.

I didn't know what to do. Should I tell someone? No, this kind of thing likely happened all the time. All I wanted to know was what it meant. Was this a good thing for a sign of the horrors to come?

I really wasn't too bothered when I went to sleep that night, just curious about the strange fallen warrior and what he was doing so far from his home.

* * * *

The next day I wanted an answer.

It was almost nap time, and Creamkit was already asleep. I didn't know where Darkkit was. Maybe he was talking to Icewhisker or (StarClan forbid) speaking with Poppypaw.

I made my way across the clearing alone. Everyone was sharing tongues and mingling. I wish Darkkit were there to share tongues with me…

I pushed that thought from my mind as I approached a large, secure looking den. It smelled of mouse bile and fresh moss. Surprisingly, these two scents didn't smell haft bad put together. "Brownfoot?" I called into the den very quietly. From a dark corner, a brown cat with a gray muzzle stuck his head out. He had been sleeping cuddled up to his mate, Dustclaw.

Dustclaw and Brownfoot were the oldest cats in ThunderClan. Brownfoot said that he had loved her since he met her all those seasons ago when she was still an aggressive loner named Dusty. They had many kits together, including Heatherstar, ThunderClan's leader. They were always together, snuggled up or talking or sharing fresh kill. They acted just as romantic as the younger couples; taking long strolls through the woods and walking through camp with their tails intertwined.

"Hello, Stormkit," said Brownfoot very quietly, not wanting to wake Dustclaw. We stepped outside.

"I have a question." Brownfoot smiled.

"Ask away, young one." He sat down and placed his tail over his paws.

"What does it mean when a star falls?" His smile suddenly faded to a rather straight face and his tail started to lash around, revealing the single brown paw for which he was named. "Stars are warriors, so does it mean a warrior falls too?"

"Well, not really. You see, stars fall when something important is about to happen."

"Like what?" I could sense that he was hiding something from me. Why does everyone hide things from me?

"Like… a change in leadership…." I cut him off.

"Heatherstar is going to die?!" I said this so loud that every cat in the clearing turned to stare at me. I didn't care though. Brownfoot tried to calm me and the other ThunderClan cats down.

"No! No, little one. Heatherstar is fine." He said this loud enough so that everyone could hear it, then added "Kits, what are we going to do with them, eh?" I looked at him crossly.

"It sure sounded like that was what you were saying."

"I like you should go back to your mother, young one," 'Mother.' That word still hurts. Seeing my face, Brownfoot quickly changed the wording of his thought. "I mean, Icewhisker will want you. Hurry along, Stormkit." I nodded and jogged away, angry at the elder. I still didn't have the answer I wanted. No one liked to answer my questions.


	3. In Which Darkkit is Apprenticed

_A Star in the Storm_

**Chapter Two- **In Which Darkkit is Apprenticed.

_"Life is one of those precious fleeting gifts, and everything can change in a heartbeat."_

And my questions remained unanswered. After half a moon, I accepted that I was likely never going to know what really happened to Mother and why the stars fell. I guess I wasn't meant to know.

I woke up that morning far away from Icewhisker and Creamkit. It was too warm to sleep by either of them. Darkkit seemed to have the same idea, for he was sleeping on the opposite side of the den. "Good morning," I yawned. Darkkit suddenly leapt up, scaring me out of my fur. "Something wrong?" I asked him at once. He didn't answer at first, just got up and started to lick himself quickly.

"Today, I'm going to be an apprentice!" he finally managed to say. He was excited, but I wasn't. Not at all. He was going to leave me and Creamkit for Poppypaw and the other apprentices, Blazepaw and Tinypaw. Blazepaw was ok, but Tinypaw was bossy and really hard to be around.

"Congrats," I mumbled. He picked up on my distress. He always did.

"Something up? You aren't acting happy." I forced myself to smile.

"Nothing's wrong; I'm really happy for you, Darkkit."

"Please, call me Darkpaw," His tone was boarding on smug. I pretended I didn't hear.

"Wanna play?" Darkkit shook his head, much to my surprise.

"Me and Poppypaw are going to try and get Heatherstar to do my ceremony before sunhigh." He explained more about he and Miss Prissy's plans, but I wasn't paying a bit of attention.

"Have fun," I started to walk away, head down in an exaggerated gesture. I thought he would pick this up like he did everything else, but he didn't seem to. Actually, he almost ran over me trying to get out of the den first and talk to the apprentices. It was going to be a miserable day, that was for sure.

* * * *

Creamkit and I batted around the moss-ball for a while, but it just didn't give me the pleasure it use to. I think I was outgrowing it. I trotted around camp, visited Brownfoot and Dustclaw, and even talked to Heatherstar for a bit. Then, I found myself drawn to that hole in the bramble wall.

I was dying to know what was on the other side. I had never been out of camp before. I could ask Darkkit once he was apprenticed I guess, but it wouldn't be the same as seeing for myself. For a second, I thought of wiggling through it and taking a look at the outside world for myself, but decided against it. I was so small, and the forest was so big. I might get eaten by a fox or a badger or something like that.

Finally, Heatherstar's voice rang out. (Heatherstar had a really loud voice, I'll give you that.) She stood on the high rock as the Clan gathered. I wanted to come, but she had said something about 'All cats old enough to catch their own prey.' I could catch prey if I wanted to, but I don't think she meant me. Still, I wouldn't miss Darkkit's apprentice ceremony for the every star in the sky, so I inched to the den door and listened. "Darkkit," I heard Heatherstar say. Darkkit started to the front, more smug than I had ever seen him. "This is a proud day for ThunderClan; by naming apprentices we show we will survive and remain strong. Darkkit, from now on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Darkpaw."

"Nightbreeze, you are more than ready for an apprentice. You will be Darkpaw's mentor. I hope you will pass your strong character and sympathy for both sides of the argument on to your apprentice and teach him to be a great warrior." Nightbreeze, a very pretty black she-cat with orange eyes, touched noses with the newly named Darkpaw. This was a bitter-sweet moment for me. Darkpaw, my best friend, was an apprentice. It was a social taboo for him to be close friends with me now, no matter what he promised.

The Clan started to chant his name and I joined in, screaming at the top of my lungs. He turned and smiled at me, and I smiled back. He had blue eyes.

* * * *

It was late afternoon the next time I saw Darkpaw. He was sitting in the apprentice den, talking to Blazepaw. I actually liked Blazepaw; he was very friendly and always willing to help. He was a push-over though and did anything that Poppypaw and Tinypaw asked him to do.

Tinypaw, the other apprentice, was sunning himself on a rock. Even while relaxing, his expression read 'conceited son of the leader.' I disliked him almost as much as I did Poppypaw.

I was kind enough to wait for everything to clear out before stalking over and telling Darkpaw good night.

"Good night to you too, Stormkit." He was whispering.

"Still friends?" I planned to remind him of that promise every day of his life until we were both warriors.

"Best friends for life," He touched noses with me and yawned. "I better get to bed." With that, he entered the apprentice den with a wave of his tail. I sat for a moment and listened to Tinypaw.

"Who was that, Darkpaw?" Tinypaw demanded.

"Just a friend." Darkpaw answered. I was glad he didn't disown me; that is my worse fear.

I was overall happy with that day, but I was way too tired to speak with Thunderstar. I curled up in my den and was quickly whisked off to sleep, dreaming of stars and voices. I didn't think about that falling star until I day I saw another, almost three moons later.


	4. In Which Stormkit Learns of a Secret

Star in the Storm.

**Chapter Three:** In Which Stormkit Learns of a Secret.

**PoV: Stormkit- Roughly Five Moons Old**

"_Some fear the dark; I embrace it. It is the only place where my eyes are blind, and my soul wanders freely from the truth of reality."-- Unknown_

It was Leaf Fall. The air was getting colder and the trees looked bare and dead. Icewhisker spoke to me and Creamkit about something known as snow. She said it was like a cloud, only colder and harder. She also said that it was very dangerous for kits because their thin fur didn't offer enough protection.

I hated this season because it limited my time for play. I couldn't go outside until late afternoon when everything had warmed up. And even after that, I couldn't stay out long.

I was also very lonely. Creamkit had a thin pelt, so she didn't like to stay outside. My pelt was thick like my father's. Darkpaw was always busy hunting or training. He, Poppypaw, Blazepaw, and Tinypaw stayed in the clearing during their downtime and talked. I wasn't invited to these chats, but I could sometimes hear what they were saying, and their conversations followed predicable patterns.

Poppypaw was the first to speak most of the time. Have I ever mentioned how much I hated her voice? It was shrill and terrible. Strangely, no one else seemed to mind or notice. After that, Tinypaw will add to whatever Poppypaw said, then he would turn to Blazepaw and ask him some tough question that he answered with complete honesty, no matter how offensive it was to Tinypaw.

It is about time I said something about Blazepaw. He is the funniest looking cat of all the apprentices. He is a ruddy orange tabby with white spots thrown randomly all over his pelt. He never talks, but I always see him up late at night, standing outside the apprentice den.

His expression is what really stands out though. Imagine a lost puppy that has been kicked around way too much. Think of the big, sad eyes. That is Blazepaw; always afraid of his own shadow and flightier than any cat I had ever seem or will ever see.

* * * *

A little later, I inched out of the nursery. I hadn't been out all day long because Icewhisker thought it was too cold. It really wasn't that cold though, just windy. The sky was clear; not a cloud as far as the eyes could see. I tramped into the clearing quietly and followed the bramble wall for a few feet. I was looking for something, but I really didn't know what.

Suddenly, a noise alerted me to another's presents in the clearing. A liquid blue figure was trotting towards me, and I hopped away automatically, landing in a thick path of brush. Icewhisker loppec from the nursery with a superior queen-like grace before taking a seat in front of the she-cat. "Bluefeather," said Icewhisker. Bluefeather. That name was very familiar. I was sure I had seem this cat stalking around the clearing once in while. "Speckleheart finally make you move in?"

"Yep," Bluefeather answered. "The kits are due any day now." With that, she glanced down at her swollen belly. She didn't look as proud as some queens did, rather, her expression was unreadable.

"Well, I'm sure that Creamkit and Stormkit will enjoy having some more playmates. Stormkit has been rather depressed since Darkpaw moved out. They were such good friends." Bluefeather nodded and took a deep breath.

"I do hope I will make a good mother." The blue she-cat managed a weak smile.

"I'm sure you will. Plus, you will be a great example to them. Creamkit and Stormkit's mother wasn't that, I have to say. I don't think that they have any hard feelings about it though, they were so young when she left them. I doubt they remember." But I did remember. I remembered very well.

When I was younger, learning about my mother wasn't the most important thing in my life. I was important, just not at the top. I was youthful and carefree. But as I got older, I began to wonder what was so wrong with me that Mother wouldn't even hang around to see me grow up. Was I that flawed? I am sure of it.

"Yes, Frostclaw was a terrible cat. I wish I had killed her that night to be honest. What kind of queen leaves her kits just because one of them resembles their father?" Bluefeather hissed suddenly. I stood with my mouth opened for a second.

"Frostclaw was…confused…" Icewhisker sounded unsure.

"Frostclaw is dangerous," said the blue she-cat. "We can not trust her." My foster mother looked as if Bluefeather had just slashed her across the face.

"That is my mistake," Her eyes were beginning to cloud over. "I trusted her." Bluefeather placed her tail over the older queen awkwardly. She seemed unpracticed in sympathy, but was trying her best.

"Enough of this talk. That was then and this is now."

"You're right," Icewhisker said, still looking down at her feet. "Only Frostclaw can make it up to her kits though. She needs to tell them. And soon at that. Her secret cannot be hidden forever."

Bluefeather and Icewhisker went back into the den and I just stood there for some time, freezing my tail off. A secret they say? I had to find out.

* * *

**In case you're wondering about the quotes, they are related to the story as random as they seem.**


	5. In Which Stormkit Makes a Friend

_**A Star in the Storm**_

**Chapter Four: **In Which Stormkit Makes a "friend."

"_Don't hold to anger, hurt or pain. They steal your energy and keep you from love."  
__--Unknown_

After that secret, I didn't talk much. I was shocked, but more so confused. And lonely. I didn't feel like Creamkit or Darkpaw understood what I was going through. Creamkit was my sister, and, in the wide scale of things, facing the same problem as I was, but she just reacted different. "Life is ten percent what happens and ninety percent how you deal with it," she would say. Her pep and bright spirit bothered me. That's a good word to describe her with. Bright. That's the word I used for Poppypaw too, only with more scorn. I hated bright things; they made me feel far from reality. I like my feet planted firmly on the ground and my head low, not up in the clouds. If you think about it, there is nothing 'bright' in the world aside from those two. Nothing at all.

* * * *

I was standing before StarClan again that night, looking up and perking my ears towards them. My eyes were surely glittering with excitement. That night felt special to me for some reason, like I was finally going to hear them speaking to me. Then, I heard a voice, but it was not of StarClan.

It was low and rough from under use it seemed. Instinctively, the fur on my hackles raised and I opened my mouth to smell the air. I had never been out of camp, so I didn't know what I was smelling for exactly. Then, I saw it.

It was a ruddy red shape half hidden in the undergrowth. I could make out random white spots and blotches all over the figure. Then, he turned to me.

He seemed alarmed and took a step back, as if not sure how to react. Then, suddenly, he tensed. "Stormkit?" I recognized him now.

"Blazepaw?" Blazepaw nodded and trotted over, quiet as a mouse walking over soft soil. "What are you doing up?" He seemed a little reluctant to answer my question.

"Taking a walk," he said. "I was just taking a walk." I couldn't quite read his expression to tell if he was lying.

"I've never heard you speak this much." As soon as they came out of my mouth, I wanted to take those words back. Blazepaw seemed to desire the same.

"Well, I've never even really met you."

"No, you don't talk at all. Darkpaw told me." Again, I wished I hadn't said anything. He didn't look offended, Actually, he didn't have much expression to his face aside from the lost puppy look. That is, until I looked closer in his eyes.

Some cats say my eyes remind them of a storm since they are gray and more than a little sharp, but Blazepaw's looked like a typhoon of amber. So much emotion and feeling was concentrated in that one area it almost overwhelmed me. Something was wrong with him. Something deep.

"I better be getting to sleep," he started to walk away, and I wanted to stop him. He would understand. He was the kind of cat that I could relate to. And he could relate to me.

Finally, I stepped in front of him. "Meet my out here tomorrow; we need to talk." He looked…scared.

"Uh-um-ok." He said quickly before disappearing into the apprentice den. I doubted he would really talk to me.

* * * *

All that next day, I could look into Blazepaw's eyes whenever he passed by the nursery. I thought if I stared at him long enough that I would learn what was wrong, but deep down, I knew that talking was the only way. I watched the sun rise and fall, making it seem like the longest day of my life. Then, night came.

I stood outside the nursery in wait. Every time I saw a branch move, my heart would leap for a moment, hoping that it was Blazepaw. Even the stars couldn't keep my eyes from the camp entrance.

"Over here," I jumped. Blazepaw was standing a few fox lengths behind me. I wanted to yell, 'What is your issue with being on time?' but I didn't. That would make him even more unwilling to speak with me.

"Come. Sit." I pointed to a spot on the ground with my tail. Like a trained dog, he sat on command. After that, a long silence filled the hollow. "So…how's your day been?" I felt stupid. I needed to get to the point.

"Fine," he answered.

"Where do you go at night? And how do you go every night without being tired in the morning?" I could tell that was too many questions way too fast.

"I go for walks." He paused. "And I get back in time to sleep." I nodded, though not happy with the answer.

"Do you just walk or do you go somewhere?"

"I go somewhere." I half smiled.

"Where is somewhere?"

"Some place other than here." Maybe there was a cat beneath those stormy eyes.

"I can see that you're not going to answer me the way I want. You win. Happy?" He smiled. Smiled. I have never seen him do that before.

"Very." I decided it was time to start a new topic.

"Got friends? Family? A crush maybe?" I grinned suggestively. Most cats would cringe or act awkwardly, especially one his age, but he didn't seem phased.

"No, no, and no."

"Why not? We all got friends, right?"

"Not me." He sounded sad and a little frustrated.

"Why?" He turned away and didn't look back.

"It's late; I have to sleep. Good night, Stormkit."

"Good night, Blazepaw. Same time tomorrow?" He didn't hear me; he had already disappeared. I knew that there was a personality beneath that odd red and white pelt. It would just take time to get out. Good thing I had all the time in the world.

* * *

**I don't like this chapter; it's not up to my usual standard. The next chapter (actually, the next two) are** awsome **though. (Well, at least I think so.)**

**Oh! I almost forgot! I have a one track mind and can't update this story and "The Dawn of Dusk." Please tell me which you want worked on. Thanks! (Personally, I like this one better.)**


	6. In Which Stormkit's Plan Goes Wrong

_**A Star in the Storm**_

**Chapter Five: **In Which Stormkit's Plan Fails Before it Even Starts

_"Your first step into the darkness is never your last."  
__-- Anonymous _

Darkness had fallen over the Clans and it seemed like everyone had disappeared. There was no lively bickering between Tinypaw and Poppypaw, none of Grayfur's complaints, and none of Heatherstar's quick-fix solutions. I had been coming outside each and every night to speak with Blazepaw, and yet I never had gotten use to the silence.

The moon was high and the chilly Leaf Fall wind caught me, causing me to shiver. Blazepaw was late, and I didn't have all night. I was a bit worried; he hadn't been this late since our first meeting a few days ago.

Finally, I heard the light sound of his foot steps. The white and tabby figure bounded into the camp and took his seat beside me. I was about to open the conversation in small talk, but, to my great surprise, Blazepaw spoke first. "The stars are beautiful tonight,"

"They are. Very…" I was about to say 'bright,' but I still opposed that word greatly. The only way to use that word correctly is when describing an annoying cat. "…shiny." I took a moment to observe them closer. I squinted to get a better look, as did Blazepaw. "When I was younger, I came out here every night and tried to talk to StarClan. I thought my life would be complete if I heard them, but I never did. The good thing is that I have a live cat to talk to at night now." The tips of Blazepaw's ears turned a little red and he grinned, proud. His grin was unpracticed and lopsided, but still cute in its own unique way. "To this day I dream of falling stars and voices." At that, the goofy grin on Blazepaw's face vanished. His expression turned serious and slightly worried.

"You dream of stars and voices?" This sounded more like a statement then a question. "What do the voices sound like? What do they say?" I was very happy that Blazepaw was talking so much; he never talked without me almost forcing him to.

"The voices sound like they're at the end of a tunnel. They echo a little and are hard to understand."

"Do you know any of the words that they were saying?" Blazepaw asked.

"Dark, flame, storm, star, promise, and some others." Blazepaw thought this over for a short moment. His whiskers twitched from concentration and he chewed his tongue.

"That doesn't make a bit of sense." I rolled my eyes.

"You're a genius, aren't you?" I didn't mean for my words to be scornful, but I think I hurt Blazepaw's feelings. "Sorry, I was just kidding." He nodded. I tried to get this conversation back on track. "Do you know what falling stars mean?"

"It can mean one of two things: either the world as we know it is about to collapse, or it is a sigh leading the dreamer to a certain location or pointing to a certain period of time." Then, he added. "I personally hope that it is the second one." Brownfoot had said something similar when I asked him so long ago. Actually, it wasn't all that long ago, it just seems longer because I've been through that seems like a life time of problems between then and now.

"You mean it's leading me somewhere?" Blazepaw wasn't like Darkpaw. He thought things through before demising them as false or mousebrained, and this case was no exception.

"I'm not a medicine cat or an elder, so I can't say for sure. But, if I had to go with one of the options, that would be it." I wasn't sure if I was suppose to be happy or angry or overwhelmed about the finding. I felt just like I always had. Since I was a small kit, I thought that my dreams meant something and that I would find it out soon. I knew it, so I was mentally prepared.

"Thanks, Blazepaw. You should be a medicine cat. I mean, you don't seem like one to like fighting and other warrior-ish stuff." He turned away so I couldn't see his face. I think that I had just discovered one of the many reasons his mind was so stormy and confused. "Do you want to be a medicine cat?" He took a moment to answer.

"Poppypaw wants to be a medicine cat." I didn't get it, what did she of all things have to do with this? That bright she-cat had no place in this conversation.

"So…"

"So, I can't take that away from her. There can only be one medicine cat in a Clan. I'm older, so if I asked, I would surely get it." I was stunned. Flabbergasted. (Creamkit taught me that word, by the way.) Why would he care about her? He was older. He was smarter, and nicer and all around better than Poppypaw!

"You were born first for a reason. This might be what you're meant to do."

"It **might**. Might means maybe."

"And my dream **might **mean I should chase that star. You can't find that out unless you go for it! I mean, if Tinypaw hadn't never fallen out of that tree, how would we all know that even the clumsiest of cats land on their feet?" I paused. "Answer the question."

"We wouldn't know…" His voice was small, barely a whisper.

"Correct; we wouldn't know. You should go for it." Finally, Blazepaw turned towards me.

"Maybe. Just maybe." I had a strong feeling that maybe was as close to yes as he was going to get today.

"But you'll think on it, right?" He nodded.

"It won't hurt to think on it." I coughed.

"And, if the answer turns out to be yes, fix this cough of mine, will ya?" He chuckled.

"Of course,"

* * * *

That morning, I awoke feeling refreshed and energized. Today was a big day for me, the day that my newly hatch plan was going to start. All I needed was an assistant, some time, and a nice, warm meal.

I trotted up to the fresh kill pile and grabbed a medium sized mouse. Usually I would just go for a small one, but today I felt as if I needed more fuel than that. After eating, I mentally checked that off of my list and started on my next requirement; an assistant.

I had three cats to choose from; Darkpaw, Blazepaw, and Creamkit. I really don't know why I even considered Creamkit. She was way too much of a goody-two-paws to help me out. Blazepaw wasn't really an option either; he wasn't much of a fighter that I had seen and likely wouldn't brave the wilds of the forest with me.

It came down to Darkpaw, my loyal best friend. He would never fail me and I felt safe with him.

I allowed the sun to rise high into the sky before heading to the apprentice den. Everyone was fast asleep from a long days hunting, boarder checking, and training. I knew Darkpaw would be tired too, but he shouldn't be. I mean, I stayed up half that night every night and was never tired.

I was careful not to wake Icewhisker and Creamkit, but was extra careful of Bluefeather. Her kits were due three days ago, and everyone was holding their breath. Bluefeather was a valuable and much loved warrior. Plus, she was carrying Grayfur, deputy of ThunderClan's, kits. Grayfur was in and out of the nursery all the time checking on her, asking if the kits were any closer to being born, sharing tongues, and spending quality time. He was almost as devoted to her as Brownfoot was to Dustclaw.

The clearing was empty just as expected. I crept over and stuck my nose into the apprentice den were Darkpaw was sleeping. Poppypaw and Tinypaw were sharing tongues a good way away and I wasn't in any danger of being seen or scented. "Darkpaw," My dark tabby friend blinked and turned over.

"What do you want, Stormy, can't you see I'm sleeping here?" Of course, Blazepaw woke up too. The slightest noise was enough to send the flighty tom into panic mode. He relaxed when he saw it was me. "What's going on?" I motioned my tail to deeper into the den. Darkpaw followed with reluctance.

"I need you to come with me." I said to him. Darkpaw seemed a little confused. The poor thing was never the smartest soul. "I need you to come with me on a mission." I repeated. He got it that time around.

"What now? A mission? To where?"

"To search for something around the boarder." Darkpaw then turned to Blazepaw, back to me, and whispered. "If we're going on a mission, shouldn't we discuss it away from here? Blazepaw can't be trusted." I wanted to hiss at him.

"You're only saying that because you're never really met him."

"And you have?"

"Yes. I know him pretty well actually." By this time, Blazepaw had moved away. He didn't like arguments. "Blazepaw, speak up. You can be trusted, right?"

"I don't even think he can talk, Stormkit. I've never heard him speak more than a word." Without meaning to, we both took a step closer to Blazepaw at the same time. He was breathing really hard and fast and his eyes were huge. Suddenly, those bulging eyes rolled back a little, as if he were going to faint. He caught himself though and bolted out into the clearing, knocking both me and Darkpaw to the ground with incredible force.

"What is his issue?!" Darkpaw hissed, squinting his eyes to deal with the pain of hitting his head hard against the dirt.

"He doesn't have an _issue. _You scared him!" Darkpaw snorted. I had never in my life been so angry with him! Blazepaw was a perfectly decent cat and didn't deserve with kind of treatment!

"I think that maybe you're the one with the issue!" He was starting to scare he. I mean, we **never **fought. Ever. Not in the nursery, not even when I was so jealous of Poppypaw. "You're just like you're mother, Stormkit!" Mother. That word. It hurt me so bad. This time though, it didn't make me want to curl up in Icewhisker's warm, soft belly fur. Oh no, it made me want to fight.

I lounged at him with all the force I could. I was small, but I was quick and I fought dirty. I went for his face, holding on by his ears and biting at the bridge of his nose. He yowled and ran in circles, flinging me off.

I landed hard on the ground and tumbled a tail length or two before coming to a stop. If he thought this was over, he was dead wrong! I got right up and went at him again, his time landing on his back and clawing him the best I could. I was furious. I had never felt that way before. It was as if everything, all my anger at every cat that had done me wrong, came out on Darkpaw.

Somehow, I ended back up on the ground. I pulled myself up, but didn't try for a third time. I just stood there, my gray eyes meeting his blue ones. I never blinked, I never showed weakness. Then, Darkpaw spoke. "You aren't right. That ShadowClan blood. That's it. I should have never allowed myself so close to you." I didn't know what to think. What had I done? It was like I was possessed or something. I couldn't have stopped myself from attacking him if I had wanted to. I had to stop this! Than I realized something that scared me. It scared me so much that I bolted out of the apprentice den.

I didn't want to stop.

* * *

**Ok, I have some news. First of all, you people seen to really like this story (no idea why), so I'm going to bump it up to my first priority. **

**Second, I would like to thank the reviewers! Ya'll are the greatest! And special super thanks to Pearly! *Claps* **

**And third, quotes are hard to find. Anyone got some that you think might go with the story? If so, I would love to hear them. :)**


	7. In Which Stormkit Quests for Truth

**_Please Read Before Reading: _**

(Ha ha, that sounded kinda funny.) Anyway, somehow, by formating got really messed up while I was uploading this, so it may be kinda hard to read. Hang in there, I'm working on it. :)

**_

* * *

_**

**_A Star in the Storm_**

**Chapter Six:** In Which Stormkit Quests for Truth

_"I must stand up in search of the truth, for if I don't, the lie will only become stronger." _

_-- Unknown_

I rushed through the forest as fast as my small legs could take me. Thorns raked my sides and my paws were starting to bleed, but I didn't care. I wanted to escape from myself.

Finally, I was out of breath. I plopped over on my side, gasping. I just lay there with my eyes closed for a moment, clearing my mind. A bitter cold nipped at me and I shivered.

The forest was huge. Never in my life had I seen something like it. Trees that reached the sky, carpets of moss that might have gone for miles! I rose to my feet and walked around in a slow circle, taking it in.

I can't be far from camp, I thought. I'll just retrace my steps and get back. The problem was, I couldn't retrace my route. I had been running so fast that all I remembered was a blur of green.

I came to the edge of the moss clearing where there were two paths, one leading straight and the other bent slightly to the right. I decided to go on the straight one; a straight path is always easier to follow than a crooked one. Too bad that it wasn't straight for long.

It led me into thick brambles. I couldn't even see the sun above me! They nipped at my fur and some of it got caught in them. Maybe someone would see it and find me. I could only hope.

My legs were sore and my paw pads cracked by the time I reached the next clearing. It was laden with pines and the footing was boggy. I slipped around at first before discovering that keeping a low center of gravity helped out a lot. I scented the air for any signs of the rest of my Clan, but something else caught my nose. Cats. Cats different then anything I had ever smelled.

I had no idea that cats could live in a place this barren, but didn't question it. They would help me, I was sure of it. I meowed for them, sounding like I was two moons old, but not soul answered. Maybe the cats I scented were loners just passing through. "Anyone out there?" I called. Sometime answered this time, but it wasn't a cat. It sounded like…like… I couldn't even describe it, but I followed it anyway.

"Umm, someone there?" The sound answered me again, leading me deeper into the muddy maze of pines. Finally, I saw the creature. It was terribly ugly, covered in warty bumps. It had huge eyes and long back legs. I stalked towards it, and it jumped away. I couldn't believe it, it had to have jumped three fox lengths!

Well, I was sure that it wasn't going to help, so I went on. The sun was setting fast and I was quickly becoming colder and colder, as well as wetter. This place was covered in water and mud. I meowed a few more times before deciding that there was no hope left of getting home. I needed a place to sleep for the night, but there was no cover in the whole of the marsh. "Please…" I begged. "Someone find me…"

* * * *

Of course, I didn't sleep. I kept my ears pricked for danger. More of those ugly wart covered things hopped around, and each time they jumped in the water, it caused me to jump to my feet. My eyes were clouding with the tears of mere stress and loneliness. If I hadn't been so mean to Darkpaw I wouldn't even be in this miserable swamp! Then, I realized that it wasn't my fault; Darkpaw had been mean to Blazepaw and me, so I should just blame him. He as the 'issues', not me. I'm perfectly ok. Than, I thought up something else. If I was so perfect, why did Mother leave?

I really didn't want to think of Mother at that moment, but I had been laying in the mud for hours trying to pass time until morning, so it was bound to come up. Plus, I thought of it every other minute of normal days, so why not now? I ran it through my mind for half the night until I feel into a very light sleep.

* * * *

I woke up sometime later. At first, I didn't know what had awakened me. There were no noises, no other life around me that I could see. Then, I scented something. It was those cats that had marked the border I had crossed.

My whole body was numb, especially my paws. I couldn't feel them at all. I stumbled out of the small nest of brambles and into the opened with surprising grace for my current condition and listened.

The cats weren't far, maybe the other side of the clearing. My eyes were still adjusting to the dark, but I could see one. She was pretty with off white fur and green eyes. She had two black spots, one on her tail and another walnut sized one her shoulder. She looked fairly familiar.

After, two others came into focus. The one closest to the white she-cat was an old tortoiseshell with amber eyes, and the other was a dark gray tom.

"Graymist," said the tortoiseshell. "Do you smell that?" The gray tom turned his head to look at her.

"I don't smell anything, Briarthorn." The white she-cat turned the party towards me and began to stalk one of those warty things . I could barely see the others now through the midnight mist, it was only her.

She was graceful and cunning, her ears pinned back and her back parallel to the ground. She kept low, stalking the creature until she was within sprinting distance. Than, she stopped completely. That was when I remembered her. Mother.

My heart leaped and I started to breathe harder. Mother heard me and turned swiftly in my direction. "Hear that, Graymist?" she said to the gray cat.

"I do; forget the frog." So that's what they're called, 'frogs.' Mother came towards me and I stepped out, no longer wishing to be hidden. Big mistake.

In an instant she had pinned me to the ground. I meowed in fear, paralyzed. After realizing that I was merely a lost traveler she got off. "What are you doing here, kit?" I cocked my head to the side. Had she forgotten my name? Was it too dark for her to see me?

"I was lost…" I squeaked. Not many kits shrank in fear at their mothers, but I was afraid. Mother was glaring at me in cold rage, something I had never seen before and never wished to see again.

"Lost?" she hissed. "You aren't lost, ThunderClan filth. You're a spy, aren't you?" I backed away again. The tortoiseshell, Briarthorn, sat down next to Mother.

"Don't do that to her, Frostclaw, she's only a kit. ThunderClan is way too stuck on the Warrior Code to send a kit into the night to spy on us. Plus, it is a time of peace. I know you are taking your responsibility as deputy seriously, but this is unnecessary." Briarthorn's words were comforting, but they didn't calm my mother in the slightest.

"Get her out, she must leave." She ordered Graymist. I thought about running, but stood my ground.

"Mother," I whimpered. "Mother, don't you remember me? You left a long time ago, and I've been wanting to see you again for so long… I've missed you…" Her expression was as cold as ice, but she hadn't clawed my fur off yet, so I went on. "Me and Creamkit have been wanting you back so bad… and, I want to know why you left. Please, answer honestly. I can take it. I'm not two moons old anymore."

Briarthorn inched between me and Mother, as if not wanting Mother to hurt me. She wouldn't hurt me, right?

"You don't need an answer. Go back to ThunderClan, kit." I started to sob. I needed an answer more than I needed air to breathe!

"Please, Mother, say my name. If you can't give me an answer, at least give me that." I was starting to wonder if I was merely dreaming. That would make it so much simpler. Mother didn't hate me, this was my worst fear coming forth in the form of a dream. I was back at the nest, safely tucked away in the curve of Icewhisker's belly.

Maybe that part was a dream too. Maybe Mother never left. Maybe…

My eyes were clouding up with tears as I waited for Mother's next words. It seemed like time stood still. Briarthorn was no longer in between us. It was just me and Mother somewhere in the void of space were nothing else mattered but her next words.

"Never. Never in my life." Time resumed, but the world was spinning. I started to feel light headed, and a red mist rolled in on all sides.

"You may hate me, but I love you, Mother. Never forgot that even if I do." Than I fell, unconscious, into the mud.

* * *

**Grrr. I had to re-write that about five times before I liked it, and I still don't like it a lot. Sorry. Oh, and I need to add another point of view for later chapters, who shall I pick? Whoever won't get a lot of PoV time, but will still be pretty important.**


	8. In Which Stormkit Awakens

**_A Star in the Storm_**

**Chapter Seven**: In Which Stormkit Wakes

_"For death begins with life's first breath  
__ And life begins at touch of death." _

_--John Oxenham_

There was no long wait in the dark, no dreams, nothing at all. It seemed like I had only blinked an eye and I was back at ThunderClan, lying on a bed of ferns. At first, I thought I was still with Mother. I struggled to my feet, dizzy and confused. My claws were unsheathed, ready to defend myself. I only put them back in when I realized I was all alone.

My body was so stiff that I might have been lying there for hours, if not a day or so. The effort of getting up drained my energy, so I lay back down. The mud had been licked from my fur, but my pelt hadn't been groomed into its proper form. I managed to straighten my back fur a little before I lost the urge to clean myself.

"Anyone here?" I called from the nest into Speckleheart, medicine cat of ThunderClan's, den. The small black and white spotted tom didn't answer. "He must be collecting herbs…" My head was pounding though, and I wanted some of those magic seeds that made you feel better. Oh, what were they called? "Blazepaw?" He was my last hope at getting some relief from my pain. He knew herbs pretty well and surely could pick the magic seeds from the bunch.

I guess I'm alone, I thought. Than, a small noise, the padding of feet, caused me to prick my ears forwards. It was the clumsy steps of Creamkit.

She appeared around the corner only moments later, eyes clouded from crying. "Oh, Stormkit! I'm so glad you're ok!" She ran up and pressed her head into my fur. I inched away.

"Yep, I'm fine." I confirmed. If I acted like I didn't have a splitting headache, she would leave. It's not that I didn't love my sister, but she was very… passionate. She never bottled up feelings and was always so bright and cheerful. It bothered me. I didn't know how a cat could be that perfect, how a cat could be so blind to the problems that we both faced.

"Darkpaw told me about your argument," she continued. "He says that he's sorry for making you run off like that."

"Sorry isn't going to fix it," I mumbled quietly. Creamkit didn't hear.

"Well, Speckleheart is going to get some goldenrod and will be with you in a minute." Suddenly, her brow furrowed and she frowned. "You don't want me in here, do you?" I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell her to leave It would hurt her feelings beyond repair.

"No, where did you get a silly idea like that?" I asked nervously. For the first time I had ever seen, Creamkit actually seemed the slightest bit angry.

"I can tell. This is the way you act when Momma insists on licking you clean after meals." My eyes started to twitch. Had she just called Icewhisker 'Momma'? "That's what I thought," she almost hissed after a moment. I guess she took my answer as a 'yes' since I was still in shock over the Momma thing. Creamkit walked quietly out of the medicine cat's den in an obvious huff. I sighed. Great. Just great.

Then, to my luck, Speckleheart was back. Do you know why they call him Speckleheart? Because he's insane. "Just a little Speckle-y," I've heard Icewhisker say. I don't mean insane in a bad way, just a little loopy. He looks pretty weird too. I swear that his back legs are longer than his front and one eye seems to bulge out.

"Good evening, Stormkit!" He always said things with a little laugh. (His laugh was like one a mad old man.) Not that anything here was funny, but just because he could.

"Hey, Speckleheart."

"Please, call me Speckle." Strange… very, very strange. "Now, here is your medicine. I mixed in some of this funny green stuff, just for taste. The twolegs call it 'cabbage.'" I stared at this 'cabbage' stuff with a look of disgust.

"Yep… looks…tasty?" Speckleheart smiled and nodded. I carefully picked through the poultice of herbs and berries and some other stuff I couldn't identity. "You're right; this cabbage stuff does add to the flavor."

"That's the idea!" Speckleheart cackled, entering his den. "Now, make sure you get some rest. Those poppy seeds should send you right to sleep!" This voice echoed off the walls of the medicine cat's cave as he disappeared. Some say that he's dug a hole out of his den and into some unmarked badger set; that's why he seems to disappear for hours. Knowing him, it sounded plausible.

Another noise than alerted me to someone else in the clearing. The sounds of paw steps were muffled, as if the paw-stepper was trying to stay hidden. "Who's there?" I asked.

"Me," Blazepaw stepped out from the brush.

"You know there is a front entrance to this clearing, right? You don't have to sneak around all the time."

"I guess it's just a habit." He than sat next to me. "How you feeling?"

"Hmm… Ok, I guess. Just a little stressed is all."

"That's understandable. It must have been horrible being lost in the forest like that." Then I realized that after I had fallen out, Mother had left me lying there. Blazepaw would have said something about meeting that patrol of he had know, and he tends to know all the little secrets around ThunderClan. Well, I didn't really want to talk about that part of my adventure anyway.

"It was." I replied. He turned and looked me in the eyes for a second.

"You don't look too great. Speckleheart done some weird experiment on you?" I laughed a little.

"Something like that. He gave me 'cabbage'. What's a cabbage anyway?"

"He must have gotten it from that kittypet that lives in the nest near RiverClan. She is always giving him funny little herbs and such." I shrugged.

"Guess so." Blazepaw did this funny thing with his brow, like he had just noticed something.

"Not very talkative today, are you?"

"Not really. Everything just feels a little off." Blazepaw's face suddenly brightened. I was a little surprised; he never looked his happy.

"You need a day out," he said. Huh? What was that suppose to do? He noticed my expression and explained further. "I know something you'll really enjoy. You trust me, right?" Alright, I was even more confused at that point.

"Of course, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Just making sure. I'll come and get you tonight, if you're strong enough, and we'll be back by early tomorrow."

"Are you sure about this?"

"No, not really. This place always helps me out though. You know, it brings you back to better times." Blazepaw was acting so strange. He was never this talkative. It's almost like his shyness had somewhat melted away. Maybe me had just taken a step towards trusting me more. Oh well, I kinda liked him when he was more confident, even though he would never be as outgoing as Darkpaw.

"Alright," I said. "It can't hurt I guess." Maybe this would reveal a little more into his personality and way in the world his eyes were so stormy.

* * * *

I waited a few hours before asking Speckleheart if I could walk around a little. "Sure, why not?" he had said before trotting back into his den for a while.

I was sitting outside, watching as Clan life went on, when suddenly Icewhisker darted past me. She didn't even say hello. I followed her into the den, where she was pacing around, talking to Speckleheart. "Now, calm down. This is a very good thing. Bluefeather's kits were due days ago; it's about time." Said Speckleheart quietly.

"Come on, we better hurry," Icewhisker rushed. She sprinted out of the den, Speckleheart following only after he gathered a bundle of herbs.

I followed them to the nursery a little more slowly and quietly. Inside, screams of pain could be heard. They echoed across the hollow. Strangely, no one looked up. (Except for Grayfur of course, who came rushing to Bluefeather's side.)

"Icewhisker?" I said in a small voice. After a moment, she stuck her brilliant white head of out of den.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Stormkit. Bluefeather's kitting, I can't talk."

"Can I come in?" I said in an even smaller voice. Icewhisker looked very unsure.

"Little one, it's pretty…messy. You're too young." I sighed and waited outside, grumbling. How bad could it have possibly been? From what I heard next, pretty bad.

"She's bleeding!" I heard Grayfur exclaim. What? What's bleeding? I thought. I heard some more shrieking and decided that I didn't really want to know. Soon the screams died into weak little wails very much like those of a dying animal.

I was starting to really worry about Bluefeather. She was like Icewhisker's best friend. They were always talking and messing around. Plus, I didn't want Bluefeather hurt myself. She was a very nice cat, though a little rough around the edges.

Creamkit came around the corner. She had been with Brownfoot and Dustclaw. "What's in StarClan's name is going on!" she yelled in panic. She tried to rush into the nursery, but I blocked her.

"Creamkit, we're not allowed in there." I hissed. "Apparently, Bluefeather's bleeding and it's graphic." Creamkit made a face of disgust.

"That makes good sense,"

For the longest time it was completely quiet. The only sounds from inside the nursery were a few comforting words from Grayfur, Bluefeather's mate, and Speckleheart urging her on. It must have been serious, for his voice had lost its signature cackling quality. "Do you think she's ok?" Creamkit finally said quietly.

"She's tough, I'm sure she is." A voice said from behind us. I turned around swiftly to see Darkpaw, sitting with his tail curled over his toes. I hissed under my breath but didn't say anything more. After awhile, Creamkit was growing tired. She lay down next to Darkpaw for warmth, her eyes blinking on and off. He smiled a little but mostly kept his eyes on the den entrance.

Finally, a sign of life. Icewhisker walked very slowly out of the nursery with a bloody ball of fur hanging from her jaws. Her eyes were clouded over with pain and grief. "Is it…" Creamkit stuttered. Icewhisker shook her head yes. That was my first experience with death.

"And the others?" asked Darkpaw. Icewhisker didn't answer him. She was already half way to Speckleheart's den. Even though I never really knew that kit, I felt a strange kinship to it. Bluefeather was like Icewhisker's sister, so I guess that made that kit my cousin sort of. That is, if Icewhisker were my mother.

"Kits, you can come in," said Speckleheart, his voice full of grief. He was to carrying a bundle of fur, this one blue in color.

"Skykit…" Bluefeather was crying. Creamkit ran up and rubbed her head into the queen's fur. This seemed to comfort her a little.

In the curve of her belly lay a survivor. It was a surprising healthy looking black she-cat. I walked very slowly up to the little creature and gave it a lick. I was afraid I would hurt her. Speckleheart came in beside me. "Look at this, Bluefeather," he said. "Her eyes are already opened." The weren't fully opened, but maybe halfway.

"Kits are suppose to be born with their eyes closed?" I asked.

"Yes, all kits are. It protects their eyes from infection while they are still growing. I have never seen a kit born with opened eyes before. I hope she isn't blind…" Bluefeather moaned with worry and grabbed her kit, placing her closer to her belly.

"What's her name?" asked Darkpaw.

"Nightkit, after Grayfur's sister." Darkpaw nodded with respect at Bluefeather's choice.

"Eyes opened or not, she is gorgeous." Grayfur finally said. He was a proud father indeed.

Later that day, Speckleheart cleaned Skykit and her unnamed brother and placed their lifeless bodies in the clearing so their family members could sit with them. Usually they didn't have these sit-ins for kits, but Grayfur and Bluefeather had made a special request to Heatherstar. I sat with them for part of the night before slipping away for my adventure with Blazepaw.

* * *

**Updates will be slow for a while; I'm going to horse camp. :) Yay for horses! Anyway, thanks so much to all who have reviewed! Oh, and Shaded Strike, I'm not sure if you got my review reply, but I said thank you and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! (With this stupid computer, I'm not really sure what it does or doesn't do anymore.)**


	9. Becoming Stormpaw

_**A Star in the Storm**_

**Chapter Eight:**Becoming Stormpaw

_"Doing all the little tricky things it takes to grow up, step by step, into an anxious and unsettling world."  
--Sylvia Plath_

I expected to stand in the medicine cat's clearing for quite a while waiting for Blazepaw to arrived, but was surprised when he was already waiting for me. He didn't speak a word, just waved his tail into a hole in a brambles that led from the camp.

"So, where are we going?" I asked. He looked left, right, and then behind him before answering.

"A special place that I have wanted to take another cat to for a long time." I knew he wouldn't tell me anything else, so we just kept on.

The forest was way bigger than I remembered. At night, the air was cold and crisp, and our pawsteps seemed to travel farther and sound clearer. Maybe it was only my imagination.

The branches of the bare trees were like spindly arms reaching for the stars above. The stars seem only just out of reach.

We hopped over a large log. Blazepaw made it with ease, but I only managed for land on it half way. My front feet clawed upwards, raking the rotting bark, but I fell to the ground with a loud bump. Blazepaw reached over, grabbing my scruff with his teeth. He was smiling at my clumsiness, which I didn't like very much.

"Thanks," I muttered. I could have gotten over myself, I wasn't that weak.

After a few more silent minutes, Blazepaw stopped suddenly. Fearing danger, I unsheathed my claws and scented the air. My hackles rose. "No enemies; just checking for WindClan." Said Blazepaw. I calmed down quickly, embarrassed at my paranoia.

Blazepaw looked at me, somehow communicating with only his eyes that we were about to run and to follow him. I nodded very slightly. We burst into a run across a wide, barren field that smelled like the wind.

There were no trees here. Actually, there was very little sign of life. I hid with Blazepaw beneath a thick, sweet smelling bush by a glittering stream of clear water. The stream sparked with starlight, just like everything seemed to around here. The cats here were lucky to live so closely to their ancestors. They surely must have been very wise, for the words of lost cats seemed to echo with the breeze.

The scent of this Clan, WindClan, I remembered, was very different than ThunderClan and ShadowClan. WindClan's scent wasn't as strong and didn't make you eyes water like ShadowClan. It wasn't as diverse as ThunderClan's either. Instinctively, I knew that these were flighty cats, but not cowards. They didn't eat much and valued freedom. Their life was tough, but they clung to the lake like moss on a rock.

"This way," Blazepaw whispered. He slunk from beneath the bush, which he call heather, into the open. I followed.

I didn't feel safe in the opened; it was so wide and unprotected. I kept looking up at the sky, making sure that a giant bird of prey didn't swoop down and eat me. The stars were so clear though, and the view of the moon was unsurpassed.

Blazepaw led me to a great, steep hill. "Why is the top flat?" I asked him, noticing the strange design of the hill.

"I don't know," he replied. "Some say it is just like that, some say that the twolegs did it." He shrugged. "Careful climbing up; I don't want you to slip. Want me to help you up?" I narrowed by eyes.

"No thanks, I can climb it myself." He didn't argue and started to climb.

The air was full of moisture and midnight dew had already collected on the hill, making it slippery and wet. I unsheathed my claws and dug them deep into the dirt, struggling with each tail-length of ground I covered.

Blazepaw faired much better. He followed a rut that was made into the hill by traveling wildlife, or possibly other cats. He waited for me at the top.

I finally made it, heaving myself onto the flat hilltop and panting like a dog. "So, what am I here to see?" I asked after a minute.

"It's amazing," he said. "But please stay close to me. I don't want you to fall off." I snorted.

"I'm not a kit anymore. I can take care of myself." My tone was slightly harsher than I wanted it to be. (I tended to do that when I didn't get enough sleep.) Blazepaw didn't look hurt. In fact, I think he had come to expect this kind of behavior from me.

He kept to the little rut that we had followed from the base of the hill towards the lake. The trail led right through a giant bush with a rather rouge texture. Gorse, I think, is what it's called.

"Close your eyes." Said Blazepaw, placing his tail over my face. I slowly followed the sound of his voice.

"Can I open them now?" I asked.

"You can in three…two….one… open up."

As I did, I was startled by the incredible brightness of the light. I didn't know what I was staring at for a moment until my eyes adjusted.

I was standing on the edge of a great cliff-like drop down, looking towards the horizon. Millions of stars relaxed on the lake's surface like little diamonds. As a breeze stirred the water, the stars danced, like in my wildest dreams.

The moon reflected on the glass-like surface. It looked grander than I had ever seen it. It was full and bright; so much so that it caste shadows and lit up the clouds around it. Only the edges of the clouds glowed though. It made me think of those 'silver lining' stories I've heard so often.

"It's beautiful…" I gasped. Blazepaw smiled, very pleased with himself. "How did you find this place?"

"Me and my best friend use to come up here all the time when I was just a young apprentice. I think about two moons older than you." I was curious.

"Tell me more." I asked, or, more so commanded.

"It's a very long story you know." I was delighted. Secrets about my mysterious friend, offered to me on a silver platter. I thought it would be more difficult than this to make him talk. I guess StarClan rewards the patient.

"That's ok; I have all night long." With that, Blazepaw rose, walked around in a circle, and laid down. I did the same, pressing down the wiry grass with my feet and getting conformable.

"Ok, it all started a long time ago when me and my friend first meet…"

"What was his name?" I interrupted.

"Kitekit, her name was Kitekit." He answered, going on with his tale. "Anyway, we met at the WindClan border when I was about your age. I always loved to sneak out." I grinned. He still did.

"So, your friend-- Kitekit I mean--- was WindClan?" Blazepaw nodded.

"I never had many friends. I was afraid of other cats. I couldn't talk to them. I was afraid of rejection, afraid that they would make fun of the kit with the big eyes and funny fur. Plus, even if someone said something as simple as 'hello, how are you?' I couldn't answer. I would freeze, and than run away."

That explained a lot. "Than why did you talk to me?" I asked.

"Because, you don't seem like a cat that would judge my funny fur and big eyes. " I smiled.

"I like your 'funny' fur; makes you look like leopard set on fire." His ears turned a little red. I don't think that he had ever been complimented before.

"Kitekit was just like you; she didn't judge me and worked past my shyness. She saw me for me. The day I became an apprentice, I was really worried about having to learn to fight and being forced to be around other cats. Kitepaw look me to this place, telling me that it would ease my mind." Blazepaw took a brief breath of remembrance before moving on."

"Well, we soon found out that cats from different Clans couldn't be close friends, so, instead of meeting every night, we slipped away at gatherings and came here." I had a feeling that he was getting to the tragic part. "One day, WindClan caught a strange sickness from a traveling rouge. Everyone in WindClan was effected."

"Everyone?"

"Well, all except around five or six cats." He said. "Anyway, Kitepaw ran away, not wanting to catch it. I I brought her food from ThunderClan, and she lived up there for a few days until she too fell sick and…"

"Died." I finished. I felt bad about saying that, but it had to be done. He nodded.

"It scarred me. Bad. My first and only friend… gone with the wind. I didn't want to live anymore, I wanted out. I wanted to be with her. Every night I snuck out of camp and came up here and just sat. Than, a miracle." He stopped, as if reluctant to go on.

"Than I met a new friend." I was touched. (He was talking about me, right?) I never thought I had much purpose in my life or was that appreciated. I guess I was wrong.

I can't quite put it in words, but a few light dawned on me. Maybe it was Blazepaw's story, maybe it was seeing Skykit dead and dangling from Speckleheart's mouth, or maybe something entirely new, but I grew up.

I wasn't innocent, sweet little Stormkit. I was older, wiser, stronger. I could put my mind around bigger things, I could understand things that mere kits couldn't. I realized that life isn't fair, that nothing is perfect. I reinforced by belief that nothing is bright. I was no longer saw in black and white, but all the shades of gray in between.

I was becoming Stormpaw.

* * *

**Aww... our little Stormy is growing up. Don't worry, her kit-like inmaturity will never die! :) Yes, I know you people were excepting the chapter to be better than that, but I'm trying...**


	10. In Which Heatherstar Speaks

_**A Star in the Storm**_

**Chapter Nine:** In Which Heatherstar Speaks

_The silence, often of pure innocence, persuades when speaking fails."  
__--William Shakespeare_

I got back to camp late that night, but still managed to catch some sleep. When I woke up the first thing I noticed was a terrible itching on the upper inside portion of my front leg. I twisted around, craning my neck to get to the terrible inching. I gnawed at the spot for a while until I tasted blood in my mouth. "Speckleheart!" I yelled in surprise. "My leg's bleeding!"

The black and white tom had been sitting not too far away, organizing berries. Actually, upon closer inspection, I found that he was not organizing them, but making pictures with them in the sand. Speckleheart was rather amusing, which was why I argued to stay in the medicine cat's den for a few more days even though I wasn't sick.

"Come over here," he said. I walked over, scared to put presser on my leg. Speckleheart took a look before grinning. "Ha ha, little one. It was just a tic that your biting has burst. Here, let me get the rest out." He easily snatched to remainder of the tic away, casting the little creature into the brush.

"Thank you," I kept on cleaning myself, only to discover that my whole coat was in disarray. Brambles and briars hung from my underbelly and a small thorn was still trapped in between my toes.

"What have you been up, Stormkit?" asked Speckleheart, noticing my frantic effort to clean my fur. I smiled nervously. Speckleheart knew what I was hiding, but he didn't want me to feel convicted. At least that's what I thought.

Than I heard the small mew of a distressed kit somewhere. My ears pricked towards a fern bed in the back of the clearing. The nest was covered with morning shadows, so I didn't see the little black kit that lay inside. I only knew it was her when the light hit her pale blue-gray eyes.

Those eyes. They almost hypnotized me. They held too much intelligence and feeling for a mere new-born.

"What's Nightkit doing in here?" I finally asked, dragging myself away from the black kit's gaze.

"I'm going to give her a thorough check-up once Bluefeather gets here." The black and white medicine cat walked over to the shadowy nest and gave the kit a swift, comforting lick. She stopped mewing for a moment.

I walked over too and lay next to Nightkit. Speckleheart ran his tail through the bushes, collecting cobwebs on his tail. He claimed to 'farm' them in his clearing, being careful to never catch the spiders while collecting their webs.

He lay the webs on the ground. "Stormkit, would you like to do me a favor?" he asked.

"Sure,"

"Please press these webs into a long, thin strand about half as thick as your paw. You won't have enough, so I'll get more from my den." He paused, cackling voice echoing slightly. "Oh, and well me when Bluefeather gets here." I nodded and started to knead the webs into strips. They got caught on my paws very easily, so progress was slow. I bit my tongue and squinted my eyes in concentration.

"Speckleheart?" I turned away to see Bluefeather standing at the threshold of the medicine cat's endless den.

"Be there in a second, Bluefeather!" he called back, voice bouncing off the stone. I heard some tripping, mumbling, and paw stepping before Speckleheart's small black and white form appeared.

Bluefeather hadn't noticed me yet, so I decided to greet her. "Hello!" Bluefeather turned to me and smiled.

"Hello, Stormkit. Icewhisker still wants Speckleheart to keep an eye on you after that fall?" I shook my head yes. Speckleheart was keeping an _excellent _eye on me. "So, let's begin." The blue furred queen walked over to nest where Nightkit was being kept. I continued to knead moss and watch the examination in wonder.

Nightkit's possible blindness was the talk of ThunderClan in these boring, peaceful days. With no battles or extra patrols, everyone was free to gossip and laze about camp. I have listened in on many of these conversations, most of them about nothing but nonsense. Occasionally though, something interesting came up. 'Have you heard that Heatherstar thinks Grayfur is getting too old to be deputy? ' or 'I think Icewhisker should be deputy after Grayfur's gone. She's much more competent than Heatherstar.' That I couldn't help but agree with.

Speckleheart first sat Bluefeather down to ask her a series of questions. "After the birth, have you had any pain?" Bluefeather thought for a minute.

"Nothing that I think is too important; this some soreness and the occasional sharp muscle cramp."

"Sure it's a muscle cramp and not an infection?"

"Yes," After a few more questions such as that, Speckleheart went on with looking over Nightkit.

Nightkit was a perfect sweetheart for the first few minutes, but once Speckleheart started looking into her ears and mouth, the kit become quite distressed. She meowed, seemingly pleading to go back into the nice, warm nursery and sleep. Of course that couldn't be done; this was necessary.

"Has she been eating ok?" asked Speckleheart.

"She eats like a little pig." The blue furred queen seemed rather proud of her daughter and the fact that she appeared healthy so far. I don't know what she would do if it turned out that Nightkit was ill; she was very protective of her only surviving kit.

Than in came time for the moment of truth; we would soon find out if Nightkit was blind or not. It would be tragic if she was, for the only job that blind cats can do is medicine. Nightkit was so strong though; built like a warrior.

Speckleheart lay the kit over on her back. Nightkit's legs flailed out but, her pale blue kit-eyes remaining still. The ThunderClan medicine cat raised his paw into the air. "I'm going to pretend to strike at her," he explained to Bluefeather. "If she blinks, she has some sight. If she doesn't, she is almost surely blind." With that, he swung his small paw down at Nightkit's face. Both me and Bluefeather prayed quietly that StarClan would be merciful to her.

In a split second, the test was over. Neither me nor Bluefeather had been watching, so we waited for Speckleheart's word.

His face revealed nothing and Bluefeather got ready for the news, good or bad. Than, the verdict. "It's hard to tell you this Bluefeather, but…" Bluefeather looked like she was about to burst into tears. "…she isn't blind."

Bluefeather smiled and laughed and hissed at Speckleheart for fooling her all at the same time. She gave her kit a good lick on the forehead. "Thank you so much, Speckleheart," she meowed. "But _never. Ever. _Scare me like that again." Speckleheart merely smiled and touched the queen's nose.

"I'm really happy that little Nightkit will be a warrior after all." I stopped working the webs and joined in the small group celebration. "Now, Stormkit, will you please give me those bandages?" asked Speckleheart. I picked up the strips in my teeth.

"What are those for?" asked Bluefeather. Speckleheart stepped over to Nightkit.

"She may not be blind yet, but she might be in the future if her eyes become too strained. For two weeks I want you to keep these cob webs around her eyes, changing them daily. Also, I want to put a little half-strength poultice in the wraps to prevent an infection."

Speckleheart showed Bluefeather how to wrap the webs around Nightkit's eyes the right way and how to take them off without hurting her.

"Thanks again, Speckleheart." Bluefeather smiled, picking up her kit.

"Keep her nice and warm so she doesn't get green cough or anything. It's about that time of year you know!" With that, Bluefeather trotted out of the clearing, eager to tell Icewhisker the happy news.

* * * *

Creamkit and I lay outside the den, tails curled over our eyes. It was midday, so everyone was sleeping soundly. It was a great day for sleeping; the chilly weather was giving us a break.

Creamkit turned over and yawned, her expression suddenly brightening. "Guess what?" she suddenly inquired. I sighed.

"What?" Creamkit raise her head from the ground and perked up her ears.

"How old are we?" she asked. My eyes narrowed.

"What kind of question is that? Like five moons I think."

"Five moons and three quarters," Creamkit seemed to wait for a moment, hoping I would get her point. "We're almost apprentices, Stormkit!" I rolled back over.

"Big deal." Creamkit gasped in surprise.

"Why do you say that? I mean, once we're apprentices, we'll be able to leave camp for the first time, and hunt, and stay up all night!" I tried to hide my smirk. I did that already.

"Yep, I guess it sounds pretty exciting." I said, trying to act like a normal kit. Creamkit was terrible at reading (or thinking, rather) between the lines, so she didn't doubt my words.

"So you think I'll be a good apprentice? I mean, I'm not very good at play fighting or anything… you and Darkpaw would always gang up on me and beat me every time…" I smiled, remembering the good 'ol days.

"You don't need to know how to fight," I said. "You can just scare off your opponent with your bright-sided eye." Creamkit was known by many as having strange, beautiful eyes. They were both blue, but one had a slight green tint. I was actually really jealous of her (no one ever complimented me on my gray eyes…), but I didn't show it. I just made fun of her like any good sister should.

Creamkit frowned, shaking her head. "And you can blend into the shadows with your funny-patterned fur." I may not have liked my eyes, but I loved my fur. It was different, some say strange, just like Blazepaw's.

My sister crossed her paws and lay her head on them, looking into the distance and day dreaming. I started to do the same when the air irrupted with tension. It was so sudden I almost jumped.

I swiveled by ears forwards. "Creamkit, hear that?" My sister looked up, focusing towards the other end of camp. She twisted her head to the side.

"It's coming from over there." I rose to my feet and took a few steps towards the noise, which was coming from Heatherstar's den.

It was a strange, high scream, like an angry kit. I heard paws scraping against rock and yowls of livid fury. Icewhisker burst forth from her den, alerted to the noise. She wasted no time rushing towards the leader's den. Was something wrong with Heatherstar?

Brownfoot lopped out of the elder's den, Dustclaw leaning against him for support. Her leg was swollen again. "What in StarClan's sweet name in going on here!?" he cried out, his voice echoing against the walls.

This, of course, caused every warrior in ThunderClan to crowd into the clearing, most of them still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. The apprentices, who were in the training hollow with their mentors, also appeared suddenly in the camp, as if by magic.

Icewhisker and Grayfur both ran out of the leader's den at once, slowing down after they were a fox length or two away. Brownfoot wanted answers. He strode up to them. "What is going on?" he hissed.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Grayfur dismissed. He sounded hurt and angry. A mix of relief and disappointment rose from the gathering warriors of ThunderClan. Some, like me, wanted to see some action. A fight or something.

"Something has to be going on," Dustclaw snapped. "Let me talk to Heatherstar." Heatherstar, at the sound of her name, came from her den in a huff. Her fur was out of place, as if she had been fighting. Well, I guess the source of the sound had been found.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice laced with fake calmness.

"Why are you throwing such a fit?" This was directed at both her and Grayfur. Heatherstar tried to keep from clawing Dustclaw's fur off. If she did, Brownfoot would surely kill ThunderClan's leader in her sleep.

"Just a small disagreement," Heatherstar hissed. Brownfoot rejoined the conversation.

"Come on, let's hear it." Heatherstar half smiled in a sort of wicked manner. I could tell that this was what she was wanting.

"If you wish, Brownfoot." Grayfur whacked his tail over his face. His expression read 'nice one, fleapelt.'

Heatherstar jumped onto her rock, tail lashing about. "Last night, Speckleheart received a dream," Strangely, Speckleheart was no where to be seen. "In it, five cats smelling of ThunderClan lay on the ground in a pool of blood."

"Who were the cats?" asked Icewhisker from the ground. Heatherstar paid her no attention. I just sat and wondered why she and Grayfur had make such a fuss over this. Of course it sounded really bad, but we had the right to know.

"Anyway, after that a large white and orange tabby gave him a prophecy. It said 'Look into the eye of the storm. Danger is rising from within your ranks. Darkness comes from the shadows, and from the past.'"

Heatherstar allowed this to sink in. I of course had no idea what it meant. Blazepaw would know though; he was good at this kind of stuff.

"Anyway, I believe that I have found the meaning of StarClan's message. Let us examine the prophecy a little at the time. First, 'the eye of the storm.' This refers to a cat with prominent eyes. Who in this camp is like that? Someone known for their eyes?" I first looked to Creamkit, and than to Blazepaw, who was on the other side of the clearing. No, that wasn't it… not my sister.

"Keep thinking of that cat as we go on to the next part," Heatherstar continued. "'Darkness comes from the shadows.' What could that mean? Shadows, my Clanmates, are black and dark. Night is almost black and dark. From this information, I believe that the evil in ThunderClan is Nightkit."

There was a loud gasp. I was completely shocked. Heatherstar was going to blame a _kit?! _This was completely deranged! Bluefeather, of course, wasn't happy at all.

"My daughter?! My new-born daughter? _Evil?" _Bluefeather yowled loudly. Heatherstar nodded. I didn't notice any hints of regret.

"Yes. Don't you worry your pretty little head, Bluefeather. I will take care of it. Your kit will be watched and guarded constantly. I won't allow any evil cat to roam free in ThunderClan." Icewhisker, who has been sitting at the base of the rock, ran to join Bluefeather.

"Nightkit is barely two days old! You can't convict her of anything! Plus, you aren't a medicine cat, how do you know that your guess if right!" Than, an unexpected call.

"Momma's right!" It was Creamkit, my shy and silent sister. Heatherstar bared her teeth at the little white she-cat.

"Quiet! You have no right to speak against me, kit." Creamkit seemed scared and shrunk away into Icewhisker's fur.

Now I understood why Grayfur wasn't going to let Heatherstar announce this. Not only was it morally incorrect to do this to a kit, that kit was also his only surviving daughter.

Suddenly, Heatherstar jumped from her rock and entered her den in a huff, cursing and mumbling to herself. I just stood quietly in the clearing, not really knowing what to think.

* * *

**That was really, really hard to write. I hope I did ok...**


	11. In Which Apprenticeship Begins

**I will give you a fair warning; this is a very, very boring chapter, but also very necessary. Sorry**

**

* * *

**

**A Star in the Storm**

_**Chapter Ten: **__In Which Apprenticeship Begins_

"_Simply put, you believe that things or people make you unhappy, but this is not accurate. You make yourself unhappy."  
__--Wayne Dyer_

Morning came again three days after Heatherstar went insane. It was cold and cloudy. So cold that even the birds didn't sing. The air smelled good though; very fresh, like clean moss.

The sun peaked through the brambles that protected the nursery. I blinked and turned over, moaning about how morning had come all too soon. I rolled again, this time right onto Creamkit's tail.

"Good morning!" she said, popping up into a standing position before I could even contemplate the monster I had just unleashed upon a helpless Clan. It was the day we both became apprentices, and my sister was about to go nuts with excitement.

"Go back to sleep," I groaned. "It's too early to be up." Creamkit shook her head in an exaggerated way.

"No it isn't; we need to get ready! Clean our fur, fluff our tails and whiskers You know, stuff like that." I narrowed my eyes and turned away from her.

"Again, go back to sleep. We can 'fluff our whiskers' later." I heard Creamkit snort in frustration, but otherwise she fell silent.

I snuggled deeper into the moss, placing my tail over my eyes to keep out that annoying light, only to find my heart was beating like crazy. I denied it, but I was excited too. So excited in fact that I couldn't sleep.

After what seemed like hours of patience waiting, I heard a yawn. It wasn't Creamkit's; it was too deep.

"Good morning, kits." Said Icewhisker. She was cheerful despite not being much of a morning cat. I waved my tail at her to signal that I was awake. I didn't want to act too excited.

Icewhisker nudged Creamkit, who had fallen back asleep since our early morning talk. Suddenly, I saw how much the two of them looked alike. It was very strange, but would have made a cute picture.

"Wake up," my foster mother prompted. "We have to clean you up." Creamkit finally pulled herself to her paws, yawning. "Did you even sleep last night?"

"Nope. I was too excited." Creamkit answered. Icewhisker than turned her attention to me.

"Get up so I can clean you too." I wanted to scowl and resist. I hating being cleaned, especially since I was basically an apprentice.

"Fine," I huffed, getting up and sitting down in front of Icewhisker. Creamkit looked disappointed. "Go ahead and go first," I offered. My sister eagerly took my place.

All in all, the grooming took about an hour. It felt really funny not being able to play in the dirt or run around, but I could take it for one day. After all, this was the day that I would stand before my Clan an able cat for the first time.

Heatherstar's cry echoed off the camp walls. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the rock for Clan meeting." Creamkit was off like a rocket. I walked slowly and with more pride. I wanted to be seen as a mature, responsible apprentice. If I acted like I had some potential in me, maybe Heatherstar would give me a good mentor. Well, maybe not. I was a Nightkit supporter after all.

All my 'family' gathered around me. Icewhisker sat between me and Creamkit so she could whisper tips into both our ears. Bluefeather sat a little to the back. Even Darkpaw was there. The only cat I was missing was Blazepaw.

"Creamkit and Stormkit, please step forwards." Heather said firmly. She didn't look too thrilled about this, but it didn't matter. This was my special day, and even ThunderClan's old prick of a leader couldn't change that. "Creamkit, you will now be known as Creampaw. Brindletail, you are more than ready for your first apprentice. You show shown yourself to be a warrior of great intelligence and kindness. Please pass all that you know to your apprentice."

The Clan cheered, but Icewhisker and I were the loudest. "Creampaw! Creampaw!" we screamed. Creampaw's ears turned red as she touched her new mentor on the nose. Now it was my turn.

I stepped towards the front, head held high. My tail was picked up, my ears in an alert position, and my eyes were sparkling.

"Stormkit, you will now be known as Stormpaw. Fogpelt, you have trained many apprentices in the past, all of which turned into a amazing warriors. You have shown yourself to be brave and loyal to ThunderClan even when times were tough. Please pass this down to your apprentice."

I stepped forwards without a trace of shyness and touched Fogpelt's nose. The pale warrior smiled and nodded as I stepped back. Only than did the Clan start to cheer my name.

"Stormpaw! Stormpaw!" Being the ham I am, I took a short bow before retreating back to my waiting family.

Icewhisker welcomed me with licks and purrs. "I'm so proud of you, Stormpaw. I can't believe that you are really an apprentice now." I licked her on the ear.

"I'll still make sure and talk to you everyday. And play with Nightkit too." Bluefeather beamed affectionately, her bright eyes sparkling. She loved for me and Creamkit -- oops, paw -- to play with Nightkit. Well, not really play, but just sit there and lick and talk to her.

Suddenly, the peaceful family moment was shattered when a high pitched voice sounded in the back ground. "Creampaw, Stormpaw, it's time for me to show you to the apprentice den." It was no other than Poppypaw, a cat whom I had hated for as long as I remember. Creampaw lopped up to her, waiting for a tour, but I was more resentful.

"I don't need to be shown where the den is. I can see it from here." I mumbled. Just like Creampaw, Poppypaw wasn't discouraged.

"It isn't because I want to show you were the den is, it's a ThunderClan tradition." Reluctantly, I followed Poppypaw across the clearing and towards the den.

The apprentice den was a lush bush protected from wind and rain by a thick canopy of brambles. The entrance was small, so we had to enter one at a time.

The floors were lined with moss and lichen, making them springy and soft. It smelled strongly of prey, both fresh and mildly rotten. As disgusting as that sounds, the strange perfume seemed to add something.

"We have a very particular sleeping arrangement," said Poppypaw. "I sleep right here," she pointed to a hollowed out spot nearest to the front. "Tinypaw here," Tinypaw's spot of very small of course. Why else would be named _Tiny_paw? "And Darkpaw right here."

Something around this sleeping arrangement struck me as strange. "What about Blazepaw?" Poppypaw looked a little confused, as if she were never asked that question before.

"He doesn't really have a spot. He sleeps outside usually. If it's too cold, he sleeps in some random location." I nodded, not surprised.

"So, what about us?" asked Creampaw. Poppypaw carefully moved around a little moss in between Tinypaw and Darkpaw's spots.

"You can stay here," she said. She started to make me a place, but I stopped her.

"I can hollow out my own place." I said. Poppypaw forced a smile.

"Independent, aren't you?" Just from her tone I could tell that she didn't like me already. I wanted to slap myself. Great, another enemy. Hating someone is one thing, but getting someone to hate you is quite another. "Anyway, tomorrow you will start your training with a tour around ThunderClan territory. Good luck," With that, the tortoiseshell trotted out. I took a breath of relief.

"Glad that's over, aren't --" I was about to finish when I found Creampaw wasn't listening at all. She was hollowing out her bed further.

"Did you say something?" _Face-tail._

"Nothing important. I'll going to go and talk to Fogpelt about my training." Creampaw nodded. (I don't think she even heard what I said.)

* * * *

Fogpelt could be described in one word: pale. His pelt was pale gray, his eyes pale green, and his personality a pale reflection of former pride and happiness. His smile was half-hearted, no matter how hard he tried. I'm not sure why is was like that, but he surely wasn't the cat from the kit-stories that Dustclaw and Brownfoot told me.

"Fogpelt?" He turned to me. He had been sitting on the edge of camp, seeming guarding the camp entrance against unknown enemies.

"Hello, Stormpaw." He greeted. "Here to talk about training I suppose." He was either a mind reader or knew what to except from new apprentices.

"Yes," I answered. "I was wondering when we would start training. I'm really eager to learn." It didn't take him long to answer. He likely had it planned out already because he knew I would ask.

"Tomorrow, you and your sister will be shown the territory together. I would take you alone, but my daughter is new to apprentices and needs someone to show her how to show a cat around." I nodded. "Than, the next day we'll do some hunting and a little tracking. From there we'll make it up as we go along."

"Thanks, Fogpelt." I smiled. "I'm going to go and look for my friends." Fogpelt rose to his feet, shaking the dirt from his pelt.

"Alright, see you tomorrow, Stormpaw."

* * * *

Night came. The half moon shown brightly in the sky, casting faint shadows over camp. I was sitting alone near the nursery, mostly out of habit. I liked being allowed to stay up late like this; sneaking around at night weighed heavily on my conscience sometimes. Suddenly, I heard a twig snap behind me. "Hello?" I called into the shadows. I had been staring at the stars and the moon, so my eyes weren't quite adjusted to the dark.

"It's Darkpaw," His fur blended very well into the shadows. The only thing I could really see were his eyes. I still thought they were the most glorious eyes I've ever seen, even though I was still mad at him.

"What?" I spat mildly. He sat down next to me. I would have moved away if I wasn't so suborn.

"I want to apologize for being so mean to you." I wasn't surprised at all.

"Leave me alone. You know the last cat that insulted me is laying at the bottom of the lake? Not that I was directly involved or anything." He laughed very lightly.

"Look, we're fought for long enough. I mean, right before I became an apprentice you promised me that we would be friends forever." He was a clever, sly cat, using my own kit-ish words against me. I could remember making that promise like it was yesterday.

"That was a long time ago. Not only did you insult me, but you waited three moons to ask for forgiveness. That makes me think that you really don't care as much as you want me to think." I think I was making him a little angry.

"It is a fact that I waited a while, but not because I didn't care. I don't like fighting with you, Stormpaw. Plus, we can't hate each other if we are forced to live in the same den and train together."

"Sure we can. Anything's possible." Next, he tried one of the oldest tricks in the book. Puppy dog eyes. It was incredibly cute, I had to say that. Still, it looked better on Blazepaw.

"Not working; try something else." He grinned.

"Ok, what about this?" He stepped away and rocked back on his back paws, standing for a moment. I was about to yawn, but he fell forwards in a cart wheel-like motion, managing to balance on only his front paws for a moment in a kind of hand-stand. "How's that for immpres--" _Crash._

Darkpaw lay in a heap for a moment. I laughed like crazy.

"So, now are you willing to forgive me?" he meowed, his body still twisted in a broken heap.

"Fine. But never, ever insult me like that again or I'll destroy you." He nodded.

"Can do."

* * *

***Yawn***


	12. The Dream: Part One

_**A Star in the Storm**_

**The Dream: Part One**

_"Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical."  
--Blaise Pascal_

*Half a Moon Later...*

"Stormpaw," I heard a voice whisper into my ear. "Stormpaw, get up!" I turned over, blinking rapidly until a dark shape came into focus.

"What?" I hissed, still tired. Darkpaw nudged me with his paw.

"Get up, it's really late." I pulled myself to my paws and saw that the sun was already completely up

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier!" I was very grumpy in the mornings sometimes. I walked in circles, stretching my legs.

"I tried, but you wouldn't get up. You scratched me across the nose!" I smiled out of the corner of my mouth. It was truth; a small, angry scratch could be seen across the b ridge of my friend's nose.

"Awww…. Little Darkpaw want me to lick it?" I said in my sing-song voice. Darkpaw growled in annoyance.

"This is important, come with me. Nightkit said her first word, 'squirrel.'" That was good; Bluefeather would be proud. I do wonder why it was 'squirrel' though. Not momma, or dad, or food…

"Why do you sound so concerned about it?" I asked, licking my paws and running them over my eyes.

"Just come and see." I followed him out of the den and into the clearing, where every cat in the Clan was standing before the high rock. Some looked furious, others confused, and some like they had achieved a great victory. Blazepaw was sitting around the outskirts of the mob.

He meowed for me to come over. "What are we meeting about?" I asked him in a whisper so I didn't interrupt whoever was going to start talking. Blazepaw looked very troubled. His eyes were heavy from lack of sleep.

"Heatherstar's gone insane again." I didn't expect such a blatant reply from him. Maybe from Darkpaw, but not from him. Than, I got how this tied into Nightkit's first word. Heatherstar had promised action against the young kit, and I guess she was keeping her promise.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" a voice thundered from a top the high rock. It was Grayfur, his expression twisted with rage. "Heatherstar has an announcement." With that, he leapt from the rock and weaved into the crowd, taking a seat next to Bluefeather, who was crying. It hurt me to she her like that; she was such a tough, 'I'm gonna kill you' kind of cat. Icewhisker was trying to calm her down.

The creamy brown leader strutted from her den onto the great rock of meetings, her tail held high in the air. "ThunderClan," she said. "Your safety is in danger. I have received that dream about Nightkit again and she is starting to speak. Because of this, I am--" A yowl of protest rang out.

"Again? You didn't receive it the first time!" It was Icewhisker, her eyes full of fire. Grayfur whispered something in her ear. Heatherstar didn't even look her way.

"Because of this, I want to air on the side of caution; danger now lurks in our camp. By the time Quailwing returns to the nursery I will have a new 'home' for Nightkit. That is all." As if to avoid questioning, Heatherstar quickly returned to her den.

A new 'home'… I pondered that for a while. What did it mean? Was Heatherstar going to kill a kit? An innocent kit who only knew one word? No, she wouldn't… she couldn't… I needed a plan; a way to save Nightkit from Heatherstar's paranoid rage…

* * * *

"Blazepaw, Darkpaw," It was late afternoon; the time everyone was sleeping. Poppypaw, Tinypaw, and Creampaw were still fast asleep in fact. "Wake up," Blazepaw awoke with a start, jumping a few kit-steps into the air before settling back down. Darkpaw simply blinked a few times and rolled over.

"What is it, Stormpaw?" he asked. I motioned for him to follow me outside.

"You too, Blazepaw." I led the three of us into a small alcove were no one would see or hear us. The brambles were thick and might have helped block out the noise.

"What's this all about? And why is he here?" Darkpaw demanded at once, looking at Blazepaw. I coughed to bring his focus back to me. Why must everything be so difficult with him?

"We can't let Heatherstar go through with her plan; we have to stop her." Blazepaw remained silent. "Come on, I know one of you has a plan." Nothing again. "Fine, well, I'll tell you mine." I paused for a moment, hoping for some reaction. "We get Speckleheart to give us a fake dream to make Nightkit seem harmless again."

Blazepaw raised his tail in the air slightly. "I have another idea," he said. "There is this herb called moon blossom that causes cats to see visions. We can give it to Heatherstar and act like we're StarClan cats." Darkpaw smiled broadly and looked at Blazepaw with a new respect.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. The only problem is where to get some moon blossom. What does it even look like?"

"It's a huge white flower that only opens at night and grows on a tall vine." Blazepaw answered. "I'm sure that Speckleheart would help us." Perfect. Speckleheart was a member of the pro-Nightkit half of ThunderClan.

"Come on; let's go talk to him."

* * * *

We entered Speckleheart's den quietly. The small black and white cat was raking moss off the side of his den with his claws and placing it on the other side. He seemed very focus on the task. ( Don't ask me why…)

"Speckleheart," The medicine cat turned towards me, smiling broadly. I could tell he wasn't getting much sleep either. No one in pro-Nightkit ThunderClan seemed to be.

"Ah! Hello, Stormpaw, Blazepaw, Darkpaw," He nodded to each of us as he said our names. "What brings you here? I do hope that it isn't green cough; I had enough of that last year." I shook my head.

"No, but we do need to talk to you outside of camp." Speckleheart's broad, cackling smile faded a bit.

"This must be a serious matter; please, step into my den."

Truthfully, I didn't want to. No one ever goes into that den for good reason. I don't want to fall into an endless badger hole!

Darkpaw led the way in and Blazepaw and I walked beside each other through the veil of moss.

It was dark inside except for a few rays of light that bounced from wall to wall. I blinked a few times, bringing everything into focus.

The walls were stained with red paw-prints and pictures made from berry juice. Shells hung from the ceiling by thin strands of cobweb and moss. Rocks of every shape and size were jammed into little holes in the stone. Sweet smelling dried flowers littered the floor. It was a gorgeous den with obvious RiverClan influence. "Where are all the herbs?" I asked.

Speckleheart led us to a sandy patch of ground covered in reeds. "I bury them; the cool sand keeps them fresh. Plus, we wouldn't want my cabbage to wilt, would we?" All three of us nodded, trying not to laugh. "So, what is this serious news that you are speaking of?" Me and Darkpaw looked at each other, and than at Blazepaw. Darkpaw rose to his feet and pushed Blazepaw towards Speckleheart with his shoulder.

"Well… well…" Blazepaw started. "You heard about Nightkit, right?" Face-tail. Duh! "Well, we don't think that Heatherstar should be going that… so we want your help to find some moon blossom…" He was such a terrible speaker it was almost painful.

"What he means, Speckleheart, is that we need you to help us find some moon blossom so that we can trick Heatherstar into thinking that we are StarClan cats delivering a message." I put in.

Speckleheart nodded. "I do know of a place were the moon blossom grows; my friend, Snowball will surely allow me to take some from her garden. We must go at night though, while the flower is opened."

He started to lead us out of the den. "You three are very brave for standing up to Heatherstar like this. It only takes one voice to change the world, but it is even better with three." We all smiled, nodding our thanks. We would be back later that night for an adventure.

* * * *

We slipped out under the cover of night. The moon was almost full and the air was unseasonably warm. Tawnyspots was standing guard at the nursery, fully awake. I paused, motioning for my friends to fall back. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"What do we do now, Stormpaw?" asked Darkpaw. Blazepaw was already heading towards one of his secret entrances.

"We follow him." There was a little problem though; this passage hadn't been used for a long time and was very overgrown. It was no problem for me since I was the smallest in the group, but Blazepaw and Darkpaw would have to struggle through; especially Blazepaw since he was much larger.

"Let Darkpaw go first, he'll make less noise and give you more time to escape." I whispered to Blazepaw. Than, a noise. I checked to make sure that it wasn't one of us. It wasn't.

I froze in place, opening my mouth to scent the air. The moonlit shape of a small white cat could be seen staring straight at me. Her odd blue eyes held mischief.

"Creampaw, what are you doing! Go back to sleep or something!" I hissed. Creampaw smiled in a surprising devious manner.

"I know what you're doing, Stormpaw. All the apprentices do." She said. "You'll never fit through there; I have a better way." Well, that was surprising. Creampaw was usually a goody-two-paws. Maybe I had taught her more than I thought.

Poppypaw immerged from the den too, the white in her tortoiseshell fur covered in dark mud. Tinypaw was next to her, the odd white ring around his eye covered carefully.

"We're going to make a distraction," said Poppypaw. "Tinypaw's got his eye-spot covered up. Because of that, he looks a lot like a grown up Nightkit. He's going to slink around and mess with Tawnyspots's head." Again, I was surprised. Maybe these cats weren't so bad after all…

"Sounds great," Darkpaw whispered. "If we're not back in the morning cover for us." The other three apprentices nodded in unison.

"Please be careful, Stormpaw. Speckleheart told me about Snowball; she lives very far away and across a few busy thunder paths."

"I will," I said to my sister. With that, Blazepaw, Darkpaw, and I slipped back into the den and waited for the distraction.

My pulse was speeding up rapidly and my breathing was almost audible. I snuck out of camp a lot, but never like this.

I heard Tawnyspots hiss in surprise. The distraction was on. We raced out of the den, almost slipping on the loose packed dirt. Tawnyspots was looking the other way at the faint figure of Tinypaw, her hackle fur standing on end. We rushed the secret camp exit by the nursery just as Tawnyspots turned around. She didn't see us. Finally, we were safe.

Darkpaw sprinted ahead of me and Blazepaw, his shadowy pelt blending in very well with the darkness. We formed a triangle just as a flock of birds did in order to travel faster and stay together.

"I smell cabbage; Speckleheart's close." We stopped short and scented the air. Out of the shadows appeared the small medicine cat, his light green eyes glowing.

"This way, we don't have any time to spare." He spoke in a quick, hurried tone. The black and white tom trotted quickly into a maze of bushes and briars. They caught my fur and tore it out in clump, but I was too excited to feel the pain.

* * *

**The plot has started! Yay! Well, this isn't the main plot... the main plot involves the real evil in ThunderClan, but you get the point. Anyway, I had to split this into like three chapters or it would be WAY too long.**


	13. The Dream: Part Two

**_Warning:_** I didn't check this over very well so I'm sure that it is full of errors. I had to hurry; the beach is waiting! :)

_**

* * *

**_

A Star in the Storm

_The Dream: Part Two_

_"Never fear shadows. They simply mean there is a light shining somewhere nearby."_

We moved through the bushes, careful not to step on any twigs. Blazepaw was fearful. I could tell because he kept looking behind him and shying away from light. Darkpaw walked behind Speckleheart. He enjoyed leading even though he wasn't really.

"How far is this place?" I asked the medicine cat.

"Oh… about half a night if we keep a swift pace." He answered, his voice low.

The lake was set up kinda like a half filled bowl. Tall hills were like the sides, keeping in all the water. The easiest way to get out of the bowl was to follow the old thunderpath that cut right through one of the steep sides. I didn't really like it though; I never had liked the opened. Plus, we were dangerously close to ShadowClan and my mom.

The moon reached the highest point in the sky by the time the lake had disappeared behind us. A dark, thick fog had moved in, and I prayed Speckleheart knew the way as well as he had told us.

Darkpaw's stomach growled loudly. So loudly that I swear it echoed a bit. Speckleheart heard it too. "You can find something to eat, but hurry with it. We don't have a lot of night left."

Speckleheart found a nice clearing to rest while the three of us went for food. Fogpelt had taught be some basic hunting, but I wasn't very good at it. The only thing I was worse at was tracking. Darkpaw was great at it though and led Blazepaw and I to the edge of a moonlit meadow were the scent of water voles was strong. They were likely attracted by the small stream that bordered one corner of the field.

I crouched down, careful not to make a sound. I kept up wind from by prey, taking small steps to towards it. Than, I sprung.

The little creature slipped right through my paws and ran franticly to the waiting Blazepaw, who bit its neck, killing it cleanly.

"Nice catch," said Darkpaw. Blazepaw thanked him through a mouth full of vole.

I was pretty jealous that I couldn't catch anything, but I did have something over my friends; ShadowClan blood. Not that I was proud of it or anything, but it would come in handy night hunting.

I split away from the group and trekked up the stream, looking for any sign of movement. Scenting the air, I detected something. Those ugly frog creatures. Was I really desperate enough to eat one? I believe I was.

I stalked it just like I had seen Mother. You didn't rock back on your haunches like the cats of ThunderClan did. You kinda just ran up to it and quickly trapped in under the weight of your body. It sounds easy but it really isn't. In fact, I think it's even harder than catching a mouse.

I built speed and sprang, making a clean kill. I smiled broadly at my prize and strutted over to Blazepaw and Darkpaw.

"I got something," I tried not to sound too proud, just kinda 'look, I catch something. Not that I care, but you should.'

The two of them looked at my kill strangely. Darkpaw's face twisted in disgust. "You caught a _frog_?"

"Actually, it's a toad." I answered nonchalantly.

"That's even worse. I do hope you're planning on eating that, because I'm not." I was kind of hurt. I mean, he couldn't catch a toad even if he tried! They tasted a little funny, but they weren't_ that _bad. Were they?

We quickly made our way back to Speckleheart's clearing. We were wasting moonlight after all.

"Good catches," said the little medicine cat. "Eat quickly, we have no time to waste." I sat down and to eat my stringy skinned toad, but, to my surprise, Speckleheart snatched it away. I shot him a questioning glance.

"Good for the skin, no?" was his response. Me and Blazepaw just decided to share a rabbit.

* * * *

The journey continued after we were done eating. There was no time to groom ourselves and digest our food; we had to get running.

The bright lights of a very small twoleg nest stood out in a vast field. Dogs barked and pulled at their chains, desperate for a taste of cat-meat. Once again Blazepaw was paralyzed with fear. Darkpaw smiled slyly and came up behind him, pushing him along. Blazepaw was much larger than Darkpaw, so didn't move. "Fine," Darkpaw said, grinning wickedly. "Time for plan B."

He stepped back a few paces and began to paw the ground and snort like a rodeo bull. After a moment, he broke out at a full sprint, tackling Blazepaw and pushing him forwards. Toms are so stupid.

Speckleheart led us closer to the nest. "Does Snowball live here?" asked Blazepaw, still limping from Darkpaw's brutish attack.

"She should be in the back garden." Speckleheart scaled the fence with great skill, as did Blazepaw. Strangely, it was Darkpaw and I would were stuck on the ground.

"I'll stay down here," said Darkpaw. "I like my paws rooted firmly on the ground." I shrugged and started to climb the fence clumsily. His loss.

My claws dug into the hard, painted wood. For every two tail lengths of distance I gained, I fell back one. "Need some help?" Blazepaw asked. He was sitting on the top of the fence, looking a little concerned. I hated it when he treated me like a new born kit.

"No thanks," I grumbled, scrambling faster. Finally, I pulled myself onto the top and looked down at Darkpaw. I guess he was serious about not climbing the fence. "Scared of heights?" I mocked. He growled but said nothing else.

It was a gorgeous garden. Even with Bare-Leaf coming it was still overflowing with flowers. A small pond with an elegant waterfall lit up one corner. I trotted over, aw struck. This must be what the Moonpool looks like, I thought. Golden fish longer than I was stuck their heads out of the water, greeting with me enthusiastic swimming and tail flipping.

After a moment I rejoined Speckleheart, who was standing at the door of the twoleg nest. "You two stay out here, I'm going to go and get Snowball." Than, no my great surprised, he went inside the house!

"You think he'll be alright?" asked Blazepaw.

"Sure, he'll be fine. I just don't understand why he doesn't call for her."

After a minute, Speckleheart exited, bringing with him another cat.

She was beautiful, more so than any cat I had every seen. Her fur was long, white, and glowing with health. Her face was crushed in slightly, emphasizing a perky pink nose. Her paws were small, delicate, and obviously not made for walking. The most striking thing about the little cat was her eyes. They were the deepest blue imaginable and took up her whole face. Her kittypet collar was covered in blue crystals that complimented her eyes.

"Hello, Snowball," I greeted, but the little she-cat didn't turn around to even look at me. How rude.

Speckleheart rubbed his face into her long fur and than turned to me. "She's death," he explained. He turned her around, making her face me, and mouthed a few words slowly. The white kittypet nodded and waved her tail at me in greeting.

I couldn't believe that Speckleheart had learned all the amazing medicine secrets that he knew from a death kittypet. How did they even communicate?

"Snowball has been my friend ever sine I was an apprentice." He explained. "She use to live with her twolegs closer to the lake, and I spent moons looking for her after they left. Finally, I found her here. She knows all about herbs and stuff like that."

Blazepaw seemed dumbstruck. Typical tom I suppose. "Blazepaw," I said, trying to snap him out of it. "Blazepaw, stop drooling over her and look at me." My eyes were narrowed and my mouth drawn in a thin line.

"Oh! Sorry! What were you saying again?" I rolled my eyes.

"Never mind."

Speckleheart mouthed a few more words to the kittypet, trying to get a rather difficult point across. Well, I guess it wasn't that difficult. Snowball nodded quickly and rushed back into the pet door.

"Is she getting the moon blossom?" I asked. Speckleheart nodded.

"You must be quiet, Stormpaw. We don't want anyone hearing us." I stopped talking and wandered around the garden very quietly. I knew I should have stayed in one stop but I wanted to look around. That place was so pretty…

Snowball immerged again, this time with a large, fragrant white flower wrapped in a leaf gripped in her teeth. Speckleheart smiled and took the package gingerly in his teeth, handing it to Blazepaw.

"Be very careful with it," he warned. "Eat it and it will kill you. You can only use it when diluted in poppy seed poultice" Suddenly, a crash echoed across the garden.

I jumped, but settled down when I saw it was just Darkpaw, who had finally gotten the courage to jump the fence.

"Shhh!" Speckleheart hissed. I believe that the fun loving medicine's nerves had been shot. It had been a stressful night and I just wanted to get back home. I wasn't sure if I regretted coming here though… It had been kinda fun.

Lights flashed inside the twoleg's nest and I could hear heavy, sleepy footsteps. Instinctively I ran into the nearest bush, Speckleheart and the still dazed Darkpaw at my heals. Blazepaw was frozen though, his whole body quivering. I could tell he wanted to run but his feet were stuck to the ground.

"Blazepaw, hurry up!" I screamed, hoping to snap him out of it. The twoleg opened up the door. In its hand was a long, thin stick with pine nettle-like bristles at the end. I could tell that it was boiling mad.

Blazepaw took a signal step back but didn't run. "Get in here, mousebrain!" Darkpaw yelled. My friend wasn't going to move; I had to help him.

As soon as I took my first step from the cover of the bushes the twoleg was beating Blazepaw with the bristles of its stick. He ran the wrong way, right into the corner of the fence.

I pursued the twoleg, leaping onto its leg and clawing for a moment. It shook me off with great ease. I ran back, too afraid to help my friend further.

Blazepaw bolted to the side only to be hit one last time. He fell to the ground, playing dead. (At least I think…) The twoleg places its broom down and the anger drained from its eyes. It reached down, placed a hand on Blazepaw's side. Sudden, the tabby sprang up and ran back into the bushes, crashing down not far from me.

"Blazepaw, are you ok!" I poked him with my paw and licked the spot on his forehead where he had been hit.

"I'm ok…" he moaned. He got up, hacking and spitting at something caught in his throat. Speckleheart rushed over to aid him, beating him over the back. Finally, he vomited up a small amount of tainted white pulp. My heart stopped and I broke into a cold nervous sweat.

He had swallowed the moon blossom.

* * *

** Poor little Blazepaw... I'm so mean to him...**


	14. The Dream: Part Three

**I've been on quite the updating streak, haven't I? Well, I'm afraid it isn't going to last much longer. So, here is the third part of the four part chapter "The Dream." _

* * *

_**

**_A Star in the Storm_**

_The Dream: Part Three_

"_Although we've come to the end of the road, still I can't let you go.  
__It's unnatural. You belong to with me, I belong with you."_

_-- Unknown._

The effects were almost instant. "I don't feel too great…" Blazepaw groaned. He swayed to the side.

"Lay down," I said, my voice like a queen speaking to her kit. He kneeled down slowly and with great effort, his face twisted with pain as his stomach touched the hard, cold ground. Soon his eyes were glassy and half closed. It made him look tired, almost drugged.

Speckleheart raced around the corner. He was breathing heavily, panicking just as I was. "I couldn't find any juniper, but I have another idea." The little black and white tom chewed off one of the small, overhanging branches from the bush we were hiding in.

Darkpaw assisted him, helping Blazepaw to roll over on his back. Laying in that position seemed slightly less painful to him. Speckleheart grabbed the twig carefully in his teeth and forced the orange tabby's mouth opened. "Don't panic when I do this; it's going to hurt a little." He stuck the branch down Blazepaw's throat, pushing it at a slightly upward angle.

Blazepaw gagged and chocked, finally vomiting up the whole contents of his stomach. His breathing than turned hard and unsteady, as if all the energy had been zapped from him.

"Feel any better?" asked Speckleheart. Blazepaw shook his head weakly, laying back on the hard ground, still coughing and sputtering.

"We have to get him back to ThunderClan." I said. "He needs some more herbs and a nice place to sleep." Speckleheart sighed.

"More herbs aren't going to help him." He said. "Darkpaw, come with me and help me find something for pain. That's about all I can do for him."

I expected to be sad, but I was more so angry. Angry at who or what I didn't know, but I was furious. I wanted someone to blame for this so badly. Than I started to blame myself. I was a coward for not running out there and helping him in the first place.

"We need to go back to camp," I kept on staying to myself. "We need to go back." I paced around, waiting for Speckleheart and Darkpaw to come back. Than I lost patience. The mousebrained medicine cat didn't know anything! I was bringing Blazepaw home.

I gripped my teeth into his scruff, pulling with all my might. How was I going to get him over the fence? "Blazepaw, can you walk, just for a minute?" His dark, stormy amber eyes glanced up at me.

"For a while," I stood beside him and he leaned on me, almost causing me to fall to the side.

"Ok, you have to climb this fence. I know it looks impossible, but you are one of the best climbers in ThunderClan. You can make it. Just up and down, than it's a straight shot back."

I don't think that Blazepaw was acting upon his own will or common sense when he started to climb up the fence. He was listening to my commands blindly and without question, just like he had when he first met.

I scrambled up after him with great effort, claws digging into the wood. By the time I was half way up, Blazepaw was already on the ground. I jumped down and stood beside him. "Let's go."

He took a few steps before stumbling again. We both plodded along great opened field. Darkpaw suddenly appeared behind me. "Stormy, what are you doing? Blazepaw can't travel like this!" His warning fell on death ears.

"Help me," I hissed. Darkpaw jogged up next to Blazepaw. "Got any poppy seeds or something to settle his stomach?" I asked. Darkpaw shook his head.

"Speckleheart's still looking for something. He told me to go and make sure you weren't doing anything stupid. Apparently, I'm not doing such a great job." I wasn't in the mood for his 'humor.'

It wasn't long until we came to the great foggy field. It looked even larger than I remembered, and even harder to cross. Frogs croaked, and I had a sudden craving for a little food. I shook my head quickly, ridding my mind of those thoughts.

Suddenly, I hear an exasperated moan and the thump of something hitting the ground. I had been leading, so I turned around quickly, claws unsheathed. Darkpaw was standing over a mound of orange fur, his eyes wide with shock. "Stormpaw, I think he's stopped breathing!" he screamed, sounding like a scared kit.

I rushed over, placing my ear to my friend's side. He was alive and breathing, but it was ragged and his heart beat sounded like the buzzing wings of a fly.

"He have to go faster!" I hissed, taking Blazepaw's scruff in my teeth again and pulling. I couldn't do it the last time, and I surely couldn't this time.

"Stormpaw, I have to lay down… we have to stop," said Blazepaw in a small voice. He was sick and surely insane; I would be making the decisions.

"No, we're getting you back home." Darkpaw stepped between me and him.

"Stormpaw, you're going to hurt him! We have to stop and rest. There is nothing in ThunderClan that will help him."

"No, I'm taking him home!" I scream in anger. "They can help him! I am helping him! I don't see **you** doing anything about it! Leave him for dead, huh? " Darkpaw's hackle fur rose in defiant rage and his eyes glittered in the worst way.

"No, you're killing him!" he screamed back. That hurt. At that time, I was convinced what I was doing was right. My heart was pounding with stress and fury. Than, I snapped almost completely.

Just like the first time I had attacked Darkpaw over Blazepaw, I couldn't control myself. It didn't scare me like when I was a kit though. I embraced the power and used it against my enemy -- I mean Darkpaw.

I was larger now too and much stronger. We wrested across the marshy land, fur and claws flying, sticky mud covering our pelts.

I struck him across him nose and gave him a couple good bite on the leg. Me mirrored me; the harder I fought, the harder he did.

Finally, we pulled away from each other, using every once of our combined self control. "Stormpaw, you need to learn to control your anger! This is the second time you're attacked me!" Darkpaw hissed. "I love a fight just as much as the next cat, but we need to get going. We'll settle this soon." His tone was hostile and angry, but at least me could control himself; unlike me. I was like a mother badger when it came to protecting my friends.

Blazepaw's tail twitched about and his eyes seemed to roll around in his skull. "Did Speckleheart ever tell you anything else about his this poison?" I asked urgently as Darkpaw dragged my orange friend along. He shook his head through a mess of fur.

Finally, I smelled Clan scent markers. "Help!" I yelled. "Someone help me! My friend's hurt!" Darkpaw couldn't pull Blazepaw along anymore. He lay him down and started to pant himself.

"ThunderClan camp is too far away; they can't hear you. Plus, it's the middle of the night " He said, his tone showing that he felt that the mission was hopeless. I scented the air again, searching for that familiar smell. Blazepaw was going to die if I couldn't find some help soon! I just needed someone to help me carry him back!

Suddenly, an idea entered by head. It was crazy… just crazy enough to save my friend's life.

I raced into the marsh, my legs pumping beneath me. Darkpaw called to me, asking where I was going. I didn't answer.

I ran over the mud at lighting speed, not caring how much got spattered all over my pelt. I leapt over roots, gaining ground quickly through the dark blur that was the pine filled forest.

I stopped and scented the air for the hundredth time. There it was; ShadowClan stench. I could no longer use my eyes, it was too dark. I needed to use everything that Fogpelt had taught me and everything that Mother's side of the family had given me. Suddenly, I felt relaxed in the darkness.

Using my whiskers, my tail, my nose, and my ears ,I picked through the darkest part of the forest, towards the patrol. I could finally see a small, fluffy stone-colored cat. "Graymist!" I yelled.

The ShadowClan cat turned around and hissed at me. He could tell I was ThunderClan. He stalked up to me, bracing for attack.

"Don't you dare touch me!" I commanded. "I am the daughter of your deputy after all." He stopped completely. I don't think he knew what to do without my hateful mother ordering him around.

"Briarthorn, it's your grand-kit!" he yelled, turning tail and retreating.

Briarthorn was an old, light brown tabby cat with my mother's eyes. Her expression was sweet, just like a queen. I trusted her more than I should havesince she did save my skin back when I was a lost, confused kit.

"Little one, what's wrong? Kin or not, you shouldn't be in ShadowClan. Ever." She said firmly. I met her eyes without hesitation.

"I need your help. My friend's really hurt and I'm too small to move him back to ThunderClan! If he doesn't get back soon he's gonna die!" I started out calmly but lost my cool near the end. Briarthorn seemed pretty surprised.

"It isn't ShadowClan's duty to help those of other Clans." I jumped up and down in meowed in a kit-like manner.

"But you're my grandmother! You have to help! I don't have a mom to help me with these things!" At this point I was just preying on Briarthorn's perceived weaknesses. I needed help, and I didn't care if I had to ask like a pure-ShadowClanner and take advantage of cats.

I think it worked. Briarthorn's eyes softened just a bit and memories swam in them like silver minnows. "You're just like your mother, Stormpaw. Smart, a good leader, and very much a ShadowClan cat at heart." I wasn't sure what to say about this. (Was that even a compliment?) but I didn't care. She was going to help me.

"He's this way!" Graymist and Briarthorn raced after me, Graymist quite reluctantly.

* * * *

We charged into camp just as the first pale lights of dawn came up over the horizon. Graymist and Briarthorn tried to stay as quiet as they could as we trekked towards the medicine cat's den. Blazepaw was starting to fight Graymist's grip, acting just like a confused kit.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of another cat crashing into camp. The little black and white medicine cat flopped down on the ground, obviously exhausted. This, to my luck, seemed to awaken half the camp, starting with Grayfur.

Grayfur plopped out of the den at first, but seemed to spring from his sleep completely at he sight of Graymist carrying Blazepaw. I ran over to him before he could shout. "Grayfur, please don't say anything!" I begged. "They were just helping me get to camp. Briarthorn, the light brown cat, is my mother's mother. The other cat is Graymist."

Graymist, who had held his tongue for some time, passed Blazepaw to Briarthorn to take a closer look at the cat who shared part of his name.

They didn't look a bit alike. Grayfur was strong and fairly handsome. He was bulldoggish both looks and personality. Graymist, on the other had, was small, proud, and rather plain looking.

I didn't really want to be around for when they started clawing each other to bits; I wanted to see what the winded medicine cat had to say about Blazepaw.

I entered the threshold of the den quietly. Briarthorn was speaking to Speckleheartin a calm and respective manner. Heart beats after I came in, they both turned to me. Speckleheart gave my grandmother a curt nod, telling her it was time to leave.

"Come here," he said. "Darkpaw too." Darkpaw had been following me. We entered Speckleheart's dark den, where he seated us near the back. The entrance was narrow, so he blocked it with ease. "Do you know why I am calling you in here?" he asked. Darkpaw was actually starting to shake. Speckleheart was still speaking in his crazy, cackling voice, but somehow it was more threatening. On the other hand, Speckleheart was only the size of an apprentice. I could take him…

"Because I didn't do a very good job at keeping her out of trouble." Darkpaw answered. I scowled at him.

"That's part of the reason, yes. The main reason though is because of your disobedience. I am not blaming you for Blazepaw's accident, but I am blaming you for dragging him back to ThunderClan against my orders."

He stopped speaking and turned to me, his ivy green eyes eating away at my very core for only a moment before they softened. "I want you do go, Darkpaw." He said. Why was he looking at me when he said that to Darkpaw? This wasn't good at all…

I took a deep swallow of air, not sure what to expect. "How much trouble am I in?" I asked in a very, very small voice.

"A lot. More than I can really tell you. You're not going to get the punishment for it though; your friends, family, and all the Clan are going to pay most of the price." I wrinkled my nose, confused.

"I can understand that everyone who was involved with this is going to be in trouble, but the whole Clan?" Speckleheart nodded solemnly.

"I am a medicine cat. I don't only receive dreams and prophecies, but a simple feeling of foresight. I have had a feeling that you were going to be the root of something terrible in this Clan since the day that Frostclaw left you here." I was tempted to snort and dismiss his claim, but I paid close attention instead.

"But… all I've ever wanted to do was to be a good warrior… and a leader one day. I'm not going to do anything on purpose, right? I mean, I don't want to be remembered that way."

"No, likely not on purpose. Don't take my words too deeply, Stormpaw. I have another theory to explain my feelings, dreams, and visions."

"Can I hear it?" I asked. I wasn't sure if he was going to tell me, but it was worth a shot.

"I guess you have the right to know." He said. "Well, I got the clearest readings of the visions while I was watching all of you apprentices train. For clarification, that means Creampaw, Poppypaw, Darkpaw, Tinypaw, Blazepaw, and you of course." I still hasn't quite following. All this medicine cat stuff went straight over my head.

"What does that mean?" Speckleheart chuckled unexpectedly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"The darkness in ThunderClan that Heatherstar has become so paranoid over and that Nightkit is blamed for is coming in the form of one of the current apprentices."

"But non of my friends are evil!" I cried out, almost forgetting to keep down my tone. Speckleheart took his second deep breath of the conversation. Or was it the third?

"Rising storm. Rising as it not here yet, or just starting. It also mentions eyes. What does that make you think of? Don't tell me, just think it."

And I did. Two cats came to mind, both obviously not evil. In fact, they were the sweetest cats I knew. Blazepaw and Creampaw.

Blazepaw. The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes. I had even thought of them as stormy before this whole thing began! It wasn't him, that was for sure.

Creampaw. My sister, the brightest cat around. Her eyes were different colors. It wasn't her though, not my own flesh and blood.

"Now, Stormpaw. Think of darkness. The prophecy mentions shadows and darkness."

Darkpaw. Dark. It was in his name. He was commanding, but not evil. No way was he evil… I could trust him with my life.

"The past. What cat here has had troubles in the past?"

Me. Stormpaw. I remember nights laying alone where I would think of ways to kill my mom. I was water them down until they were so easy… so possible…

I finally pulled myself from my trace. I pushed my memories back into the deep chasm of my mind where they belonged.

"I need to go," I suddenly and nervously stated. "I want to go and see Blazepaw." I was like a robot. I wasn't really thinking, but my instincts told me to get out of there.

Speckleheart nodded his approval. "You're a smart cat, Stormpaw. Any breakthroughs with the prophecy would be lovely!" he shouted, suddenly light hearted, as I almost ran out.

Fresh air coursed through my fur. It felt so good. I gulped it down like a thirsty dog. Darkpaw took this as his signal to come back out of hiding.

"Stormy, you don't look too good… a little pale."

"I'm fine." I snapped, catching him off guard. He backed off.

"You've had a rough night. Spend some time with Blazepaw and I'll tell you the full extent of the damage later." I didn't respond.

* * *

**A nice long chapter for all the loyal viewers for whom I am very, very grateful of. I would just like to briefly thank you all for sticking with this story for... thirteen chapters I think? Give or take. :) You make my writing worth it.**


	15. The Dream: Part Four

_**A Star in the Storm**_

The Dream: Part Four

"'_Don't count your chickens before they hatch.' This is very use advice for the unlucky."  
__-- Unknown_

**PoV**: Third Person

_A thick, milky mist took hold of the dark forest. This place was peaceful, beautiful. The sound of crickets echoed off the tall, leafy trees. You could feel this place growing, breathing. A black and white tom appeared lost in it all. He stood, silent, knowing very well what was to happen next. _

_The air suddenly filled with a crackling, buzzing noise like the beating of a giant fly's wings. The undersized tom looked towards the sky, which was glowing. A comet, a falling star, sped past right in front of the tom, closer than it ever would have come if this weren't a dream. _

_The tom took a breath. "Come out," he said, cackling voice causing the trees to shake. "I'm listening." The wind picked up in a great gust. A gust so strong that branches of the unnaturally large trees started to bend._

_The cat held fast to the ground with his claws. "Giving quite the greeting, aren't you?" he chuckled. With that, the wind stopped._

_Heavy foot steps now filled the air. Footsteps that a normal cat would have been very much afraid of. "Speckleheart, medicine cat of ThunderClan," the deep voice echoed. It was not the voice of a cat, but the forest itself greeting the black and white tom. The cat who had brought him here would approach soon. _

_A blurry image finally appeared out of mid air. As it got clearer, the medicine cat would easily make out key features. Blazing ginger fur, green eyes, and great white feet. The cat was large, towing above the small medicine cat. His foot steps were like echoes of the past, each brining forth a new feeling of foresight to Speckleheart. _

_The black and white tom lowered his head to the giant orange cat. The tabby did also. "I have a new prophecy for you. A new sign." Speckleheart lifted his head and stood at attention. "Be prepared. The storm is gaining power in ThunderClan. Heatherstar is wrong. You know that. Don't interfere with destiny, for the darkness must come to bring light." _

"_Please, great star cat, could you tell me three things?" asked Speckleheart. The tabby sat down and curled his tail over his giant white paws. _

"_I can't tell you much, but I may be able to give you a small clue." Speckleheart nodded in great appreciation. _

"_Who is the darkness and who is the other cat, the light I assume? I don't expect you to tell me much, just a little. A little would be quite a help." The tabby half smiled._

"_They are what they are. Darkness and Light. Experience and innocence. Self control and self pity." Speckleheart nodded. _

"_I have but one more question. Who are you?" The wind started again, this time bring with it a thick fog. The meeting was at its end, but the answer to Speckleheart's question rang you._

"_I am the Darkness's StarClan."_

_* * _**PoV: Stormpaw **_* * _

I spent the night beside him. Sometimes he would stir and my heart would leap in vain. Speckleheart looked down above me with great sympathy. "Here, take these poppy seeds," he would say. "They'll help you sleep." I needed sleep dearly, but I didn't want it.

As the gray light of dawn appeared above me, I heard clumsy pawsteps. I had fallen asleep.

My sister appeared, her expression completely neutral. She didn't look like she had slept much either.

"Come with me," she said with less emotion than usual. "Apprentice meeting." Of course, such a meeting didn't exist; Creampaw merely liked to have a name for everything. I stood stubbornly next to Blazepaw. "Stormpaw, this is important. Come on." Creampaw turned and looked back before finally exiting the den without me.

I was curious, but didn't really wish to leave so soon. After a while though, curiosity won me over and I walked quickly over to the apprentice's den.

Inside, everyone was seemingly waiting for me. Creampaw was sandwiched in between Poppypaw and Tinypaw, and Darkpaw was standing alone on the other end, waiting for me. I took my spot next to him.

"So, what's this meeting about?" I finally asked. Tinypaw took a step forwards.

Tinypaw hasn't really been described in detail. He, for the most part, is a bit of a 'background' cat. He deserves more than that I think. Tinypaw, despite his name, has more courage then LionClan. He is loyal, determined, and sometimes caring. His downfall is really his distrust of everyone around him. He is always afraid that no one like him and that every whisper around camp is about him. Maybe it's that name; Tinypaw. Makes you think of him as weak.

"Well, first I think you should know that we were caught yesterday helping you get away." He started. My tail twitched in annoyance. This wasn't important news to me.

"Go on," Darkpaw prompted.

"Because of that, Poppypaw, Creampaw, and I have been stuck in the apprentice den. In that time we have gotten a good idea of ThunderClan habit. Tawnyspots always goes for a walk, leaving Nightkit unguarded, when the moon is still pale. Heatherstar, being dead asleep at this time, never knows." I nodded.

"Also, Cloudstripe is busy. The only cat left alert in camp is Goldenleaf." I felt a slight tension coming from Poppypaw. Goldenleaf, despite his she-cat-ish name, is a warrior to be feared. He is fair and kind, but incredible loyal to Heatherstar and follows her commands as if they were warrior code.

"What are you getting at?" I asked. Tinypaw half-smiled and continued.

"Well, you have the moon blossom. Blazepaw was hurt getting it, so we should use it. The only cat up within the time slot I am talking about is Goldenleaf, but we can take him out." I snorted out loud at this idea.

"That's insane," I said. "Goldenleaf is bigger then every one of us combined." Poppypaw nodded solemnly, as did Darkpaw. Tinypaw and Creampaw, however, seemed dead set on the idea.

"It will be easy," said my sister. "It's four against one. Brindletail taught me a move that will knock him out before he can say fox dung." I didn't look too confident.

"And what if it doesn't work? What if we miss our mark?" Darkpaw questioned. At this point, Tinypaw stepped down and Creampaw took the stand.

"The way I see it, each of us had a good twenty-five percent chance of hitting him. There are four of us. Do the math, it adds up to one-hundred percent." Math was never a strong subject of mine, so I had no idea what this really meant or if it was just utter hogwash.

"I still don't like the idea," I said. "But we can keep it for now and rethink it later if it doesn't work out. Otherwise, I guess I'm in."

"What about you, Poppypaw?" Creampaw asked. Poppypaw seemed reluctant to speak.

"Well… the risk is high…"

"Don't be a wimp," I challenged. "Do it for the Clan."

"Ok," she finally said. "I'm in." We than all turned to Darkpaw. He took a short step back, reminding me of Blazepaw for a moment.

"I guess if everyone else is in, it wouldn't hurt to try it out." He answered after a moment. I bumped my head against him."Good," I purred, happy to have him aboard. He just seemed happy that everyone else was happy.

"Ok," Tinypaw started again. "We need to start preparing. Speckleheart thinks that the whole thing is off, so we have to do it without him. Stormpaw," he turned towards me, as did everyone else. "Blazepaw is recovering. I think you may be able to reach him. He knows all about herbs and can tell us the correct amount." I didn't want to mess with him really. I had spent a long night by his side and he didn't took too much better to me. I think they were telling me this just because they knew it would make me feel better. They knew I couldn't reach him; maybe this whole thing was just a waste of time after all…

"Fine," I mumbled, stubbornly grumpy. Darkpaw glared at me, blue eyes flashing with frustration. I didn't return his glare.

The meeting began to brake up. Creampaw and Tinypaw decided to see if the patrol would pick them. Poppypaw wondered off by herself. Darkpaw did the same. I walked slowly to Speckleheart's den to do my part of the plan and see if waking Blazepaw was even possible.

I entered the shadowy clearing, feeling the drop in temperature immediately from the stream and sand. Speckleheart was sitting above Blazepaw, already starting the tedious task of waking him up.

"Is he doing better?" I asked, deciding to see if Tinypaw's claim had any truth to it. Speckleheart turned, smiling as he always was.

"You are the third cat to ask he this today!" he cackled. "I will tell you what I told the others: he is doing better and most certainly will recover. He was awake a few minutes ago and I'm trying to give him his medicine." My heart leapt. "Would you like to spend some time with him?" the medicine cat asked.

I nodded and he left, humming as he disappeared into his den. I shifted my eyes in his direction, making sure that he was gone. "Oh, and Stormpaw!" he suddenly called back, making me jump. "Do you like what I've done with the moss at the entrance? Looks good, no?" Honestly, I didn't notice a difference.

"It looks great!" I called back. I heard his foot steps grow softer until the sound of dripping water completely over took them.

I than turned by attention to Blazepaw. His pelt was plainly visible again the ferns, which were starting to die back with the cold. The first snow of the year would come any day now even though this leaf-bare was unseasonably warm.

"Blazepaw, " I whispered in his ear. "Wake up!" He stirred a bit. Wow, this was going to be easier than I thought. "Blazepaw, I have a water vole… you like voles… hurry and take it before Darkpaw eats it…" He grunted and scented the air. "Hurry up, Darkpaw's coming to take your vole…" He pawed the air. Finally, his eyes snapped opened.

"My vole." He said rather possessively. His eyes were glazed over lightly and seemed out of focus. He then looked at his paws as if he had never seem then before. "Foot…" he said in a kit-like voice. I cocked my head to the side.

"Blazepaw, are you ok?" He rolled over to one side, and then the other. "Speckleheart, there's something wrong with him!" Speckleheart trotted out of the den at once.

"What's the problem here?" he asked. I turned towards Blazepaw.

"Watch his; I think he's insane." I wiggled my tail above his face. He swatted at it like a kit, missing it each time. "And that's not all," Speckleheart was still staring, intrigued. "Blazepaw! Hurry, your vole is getting away!"

Blazepaw, who was still on his back, starting to fling his feet in every direction, almost shouting, "Vole, vole, vole!" Speckleheart was laughing at this point.

"What's so funny?" I demanded. Speckleheart calmed himself.

"This is what a high dose of the moon blossom will do to you. It makes you see things, act strangely, and become rather insane."

"So it will wear off?" I asked at once. Speckleheart nodded.

Blazepaw, who was still flopping about every which way, suddenly stopped. His face twisted about and he closed his eyes, suddenly vomiting. I took a quick step back.

"Oh, good," said Speckleheart. "I was about to give him something for that anyway." I managed a crooked smile.

"So, how long is he going to be like this?" I asked the medicine cat. He thought for a moment.

"Oh, the rest of the day and into the night I would guess. If you can, get him to walk around. Exercise is good for clearing the poison out of his system."

"So, he is defiantly going to be ok now? He didn't get enough moon blossom to hurt him too bad?"

"Well, he did, but it clears quickly. We are rather lucky he lived though last night. He's a tough one." With that, Speckleheart trotted back into his den, tail flicking about.

I went back to my task of getting Blazepaw to walk around. "Blazepaw," I said in a gentle tone. "Want to go for a walk?" He seemed suddenly a little calmer and rose to his feet. His eyes danced around, worry free for once. No more puppy eyes, at least for a moment.

He leaned against me, putting his full weight against my shoulder. I mean, full weight.

We both toppled down, my friend landing right on top of me. I struggled beneath him, hissing "Blazepaw, get off!" every few seconds. I think he might have been asleep or back into his state of confusion. _Speckleheart, this is a completely mouse-brained idea!_ I thought, finally squeezing out.

In this time, I had always forgotten the objective of this entire thing; to find out how much moon blossom we needed. It was completely hopeless. Blazepaw couldn't give me any information in this state. If he did, it would be about as useful as my best guess. That was it.

Heatherstar was a terrible cat for locking up Nightkit. She didn't deserve to be leader. I could just guess the amount, say it came from Blazepaw, and if it killed her, good. If it didn't and my some StarClan sent miracle it worked, good. Both ways I was going to gain and Heatherstar was going to loose.

* * * *

I placed poor, demented Blazepaw back in his nest and rested until near the end of the afternoon, thinking deeply about my plan to put an end to Heatherstar's reign of terror over ThunderClan. I could imagine that glory. Bluefeather would be so proud of me! And Grayfur too.

I could also see the effects on the far future. Grayfur would become Graystar and Icewhisker deputy. Grayfur would die or retire, then I would be deputy. I had always wanted to be in a position of leadership. I had dreamt of it since I was a tiny little nursery kit.

Finally, it came time of the finale planning session.

I walked casually into the clearing, not really acting like I cared. Tinypaw and Creampaw also came strutting out. "Hey, Stormpaw," my sister said. "Want to go hunting with us?" This was a part of the plan of course. We would stay out and hunt until nightfall. This way no one would think it was us.

"Sure," I said, following them out. Poppypaw trotted up behind us and followed.

No one talked until we were deeper into the forest, far out of ear shot of any other cats. "Ok," said Creampaw. "Darkpaw is still out. He's looking for some herbs and stuff to dilute the moon blossom. Poppypaw, you hid it near the sandy clearing, right?" Poppypaw nodded.

"Ok," said Tinypaw. "I'm responsible for everyone's safely. I have an emergency plan to make sure that we aren't caught trying to poison the leader. First, we have to buddy up. We do nothing alone. Me and Creampaw will be a pair, and Stormpaw and Poppypaw." I narrowed my eyes at the tortoiseshell. Why did I have to be paired with her? We hated each other. Well, we didn't show it, but we both knew it.

"What about Darkpaw?" I asked. I really wish Blazepaw was well enough so that we could all have partners…

"He has a special role," said Tinypaw. "He's going to be in the medicine cat's den making sure that Speckleheart doesn't know anything. Also, he's going to pretended to see the 'villain' that's attacking Heatherstar and lead the warriors off the wrong way. That is, if we get caught at all." Darn Darkpaw, he got an easy role.

"As for you and Poppypaw, you are both have fur colors that blend well into the shadows. Plus, both are quick and very, very stealthy. You will be the ones giving Heatherstar the moon blossom." Poppypaw looked at me, half smiling. I just threw her a shifty glare.

"Creampaw and I are going to be the distraction if you two are caught. We'll be covered head to toe in mud and leap out of the bushes when you yowl for us." Lucky Creampaw. She was just going to be hiding in the bushes and snuggling with Tinypaw. "Once we're all out we're going to meet at the training clearing. Everyone clear on the plan?" Everyone nodded their heads yes. "Good," he paused. "Oh, and a change of plan. Stormpaw and Poppypaw aren't going to help us attack Goldenleaf. Me and Creampaw are going to, but only if necessary." I was much more comfortable with this version of the plan anyway.

With that, Darkpaw came sprinting into the clearing, a bunch of leaves in his mouth. "I got all the herbs we'll need." He said, panting.

We all gathered around him to see what he got. Mostly thick-leaved water plants that would be good for mixing. They smelled rather strong, causing me to wrinkle my nose and take a small step back.

"Alright then. Stormpaw, you get the amount you need to mix from Darkpaw. You and Poppypaw will have to mix it on the spot so it is still strong enough." I don't think strong enough was our problem, but ok.

"Can do," I answered confidently.

With that, the planning session was over. We all spread out and looked for some prey.

* * * *

The half moon hung gracefully in the sky, casting gentle shadows. The stars were bright that night, watching as Tinypaw, Creampaw, Poppypaw, Darkpaw, and I gathered beneath an oak tree. Everyone was excited and nervous, especially Poppypaw. I was still bitter about having her as a partner, but it was for the sake of the Clan after all.

Tinypaw coughed, calling us all to attention. I had to say, Tinypaw and Creampaw were behaving a lot like the leaders of our little gang. I had mixed feelings about that since I really wanted to be a leader, but the pair was were capable and good with plans.

"Ok, everyone clear on what we're to do?" he asked for the four millionth time. A wave of 'yeah sure' was the response. "Ok. Darkpaw, do you have the herbs and stuff?" Darkpaw picked into a bramble patch and came back with a small bumble of herbs as well as a leaf full of deadly Blazepaw-killing moon blossom.

Poppypaw helped him mix up some of the water plants into a pulp, placing it into a leaf afterwards. We were all ready.

"Alright everyone," Creampaw whispered. "Move out." Darkpaw went off as quickly as possible towards the medicine cat's den, Creampaw and Tinypaw trotting after him more slowly. Poppypaw and I lingered in the clearing for a moment, as if not sure what to do.

"This way's faster," I said, starting to ease off in said direction. Poppypaw shook her head.

"No, I've been though this forest a lot. This way is twice as fast and not as hard on the paws." She pointed towards a slightly over grown little passage.

"No, that will be too noisy. Just follow me, there's no time to argue." Poppypaw narrowed her eyes and made a 'huff' kind of noise.

"Who's arguing?" With that, she followed me.

We stayed close to the ground and perfectly quiet. The only noise you could hear was Poppypaw's rather annoying mumbling and my heart pounding. I stepped on a thorn, causing me to bounce back and whack Poppypaw nicely in the face.

"What was that for?!" she hissed.

"I stepped on something," I growled back before moving on, putting on enough speed to keep a good distance away from her.

Finally we came to the camp entrance. I looked around, making sure that Tawnyspots was gone. She was, but Goldenleaf was standing guard. I cursed under my breath and waited for the rest of the apprentices to distract him.

After a moment, the noise came. A rock bounced off the high walls of the camp, causing Goldenleaf to leap into attention. This was our chance.

I scooted into the clearing, sidling around a bush for a moment before breaking into a full run. I sped around in a U pattern, sticking to the shadows. I then darted into the darkness of Heatherstar's den, not even looking to see if she was truly asleep.

To my great luck, she was. Sounds of snoring echoed off the walls, masking my paw steps.

I peaked out and waited for Poppypaw. She was still frozen in the same position I had left her in. "Hurry up," I hissed in a low voice. Poppypaw shook her head back and forth quickly.

"You wimp! Come on!" I said a little louder. "Fox dung, you're going to ruin everything!" Suddenly, I sensed something behind me.

Heatherstar turned around in her nest, yawning deeply. My heart leapt into my throat. I was frozen, not sure what to do.

She moaned and stretched her legs before her, her eyes opening half way. Then she noticed me.

Her eyes opened up fully, glaring at me. I spun around, hoping she didn't see my face, and darted into the clearing.

Goldenleaf saw me next. I yowled, the signal for Creampaw and Tinypaw to leap out.

They did, screaming and crying. Goldenleaf quickly turn to them, allowing me to escape. "Poppypaw, run!" I hissed. The tortoiseshell was at my heals in an instant, yowling for sweet life.

We turned, forgetting about warn trails and crashing though brambles. They cut deep into my flesh and hung in my fur. One caught my eye, causing me to run blind for a moment.

In panic I swerved to the side, hitting a tree or something. My head took full impact. My field of vision was taken over my a powerful white light and the breath was taken from my lungs.

"Stormpaw! Stormpaw wake up!" I heard Poppypaw say. She sounded panicky. I was hurt, but still conscious

"Ugh…what's going on?" I responded aimlessly, suddenly very confused.

"We have to get away from Goldenleaf. Get up, you're ok," Just as quickly as I had forgotten, I remembered. Well, some of it anyway. My vision was still blurry, so getting to my feet was impossible.

"I'm tired…" I moaned. "I'm going to sleep." Poppypaw nudged me hard with her feet.

"No, you're not! Get up!"

"Tell them that whoever attacked Heatherstar got me… and you followed…" Final lie in place, I fell face first on the sweet smelling earth.

* * *

**Ok, the great four part chapter is done! Yay! Oh, and if there are some typos or I put "Blazepaw" instead of "Darkpaw" in some places, don't be confused or anything. I was sleepy when I checked this.**

**Next chapter is going to be good I think. I'll upload soon as I can!**


	16. In Which The War Begins

**Ok, this is one seriously long chapter (4,100 words), so be prepared. I put a good bit of effort into this, so I hope it's good! Oh, and I'm starting to run out of ideas. I mean, I have the first third of the story thought out and the last third, but the middle third is still being thought. Therefore, updates may be a little slower. Strangely, whenever I say updates are suppose to slow down they speed up, so maybe you should just disregard what I've just said...**

**_

* * *

_**

**_A Star in the Storm_**

**Chapter 15**: In Which the War Begins

_"When there is a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence."_

"Stormpaw…Stormpaw…" I heard very, very far away voices. I thought that they were just in my head at first. I remembered Poppypaw standing over me what seemed like seconds ago, franticly shouting at me to wake up. But this wasn't her voice… it was a tom's.

"Stormy… Come on, wake up." I didn't really know what was going on. I couldn't feel my limbs or open my eyes. It was like I was floating. It was quite a pleasant feeling indeed. I hoped those voice would quiet down long enough for me to establish were I was and what I was doing floating in lake… strangely though, I could breathe rather well.

Very suddenly I was thrust back into the world. I surely wasn't in the lake, I was somewhere in ThunderClan. I could tell by the scents.

I could still hear those voices, as well as my own pounding heart. Oh, the head ache… It was almost unbearable. It was like my head was filled with burning embers. Still a bit delusional, I imagined a comical image of myself with smoke rising from my ears.

Finally, I seemed to get a grip on something solid. My claws dug at the dirt and I tried to rise, only to fall again shortly afterwards, strength zapped for a moment. Then, I realized that there wasn't dirt beneath me, but soft ferns and moss. I was in the medicine cat's den. Sweet scents drifted into my nose and the sounds of pawsteps filled my still ringing ears.

I opened one eye at the time to see two fur balls, one orange and one so dark that it was almost black. "Darkpaw?" I wasn't sure if it was really him. Then, I felt a warm lick to my cheek. That surely wasn't Darkpaw… "Blazepaw!" I mewed joyously.

Everything came into focus at that point. I could see both of them looming over me. Darkpaw looked sick with worry, and Blazepaw just looked sick. His eyes were sunken and glazed over, and he had lost a little weight. When he blinked, it was slow, as it was when he walked. I guess the poisoning had put his whole body out of rhythm.

I twitched my tail, always surprised that I was whole and ok after my accident, and tapped Blazepaw on the shoulder. No, we wasn't feverish.

"I'm glad to see you up," Blazepaw said, his cloudy eyes glittering.

"You shouldn't be up. You still look terrible."

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I needed to get up and walk around. Speckleheart said that it's good for me."

I too decided it would be good to get up. I scrambled, still a little dizzy, to a standing position. I spread my legs wide for balance.

Darkpaw stood next to me, allowing me to lean on him in case I fell. I pulled away, turning completely around in an exaggerated motion. To my surprise, Poppypaw was sleeping not far away. Anger rose in my chest. She had ruined the whole plan and was just peacefully sleeping while I had to deal with two numb-skulls that should be either resting or making sure the Heatherstar still believed my tale!

"What is she doing here?" I spat, eyes narrowed on Poppypaw's unmoving figure. Darkpaw saw how angry I was and stepped between us. I scowled, anger at him for defending her. Likely just because she was much prettier than me and acted all sweet and innocent… if it wasn't for those two qualities Darkpaw likely would have let me beat her to a pulp. He did love watching fights.

"Speckleheart gave her some strong herbs to make her sleep. She was terribly stressed about the whole thing, she had been for days. Getting caught and you getting hurt almost caused her to go crazy." My scowl only deepened.

"She's stressed? How does she think I feel then! And she just gets to sleep away?" I growled suddenly, unable to control my own temper. Truthfully, the stress was getting to me too.

"Calm down…" Blazepaw said quietly. I shot him a deathly glare.

"I'm completely calm!" I snapped loudly, obviously not as calm as I claimed.

Upon hearing this, Speckleheart seemed to appear out of thin air behind me. I jumped and turned around about as quickly as my energy starved body could manage. "Stormpaw, no need to yell at your friends." He said, laughing lightly under his breath. "You are still not quite fully yourself… you need some more time to just lay down." I shook my head. I think it caused my brain to slush around and hurt my head more.

"I'm fine." With that, a second cat managed to sneak behind me, causing my to jump yet again. Was everyone after me today?

This time though, the visitor wasn't the least bit welcome. It was Tawnyspots, one of my least favorite cats. I hated everything about her. Her sparkling eyes, her voice, the way she walked (she walked like a show horse; high steps and fancy gaits). Everything. Poppypaw, her own niece, hated her almost as much as I did. It was really the only thing that me and Poppypaw saw eye-to-eye.

"Stormpaw, Heatherstar wants to talk to you. This is, if you can make it." Her tone was slightly challenging.

"I'm sorry, Tawnyspots, but Stormpaw has just woken up from an all night head injury. She really needs to stay here and re--" Darkpaw cut him off before I could even say anything. Did I mention that he hated Tawnyspots too? I guess since his 'two favorite she-cats' did he just had to.

"She's fine. Of course she'll go with you." Tawnyspots smiled a rather toothy smile before scampering out of the medicine cat's clearing. She stopped mid-way, as if she had forgotten something.

"Oh, and Goldenleaf will meet her out here in five minutes." With that, the tortoiseshell strutted off.

"What was that for?!" I hissed at Darkpaw. He merely smiled, his gorgeous blue eyes dancing around.

"She was challenging us."

"Us? No, not us. Darkpaw, I need to rest! I don't want to deal with Heatherstar's deranged plans today!" Blazepaw suddenly spoke.

"She's already questioned Darkpaw and Poppypaw." I hadn't known this. "You really need to go so she doesn't think anything's up. Just make sure you keep with Poppypaw's story." I really didn't want to go along with anything she had said, but I nodded regretfully.

"Alright. She said that she heard something in the bushes and asked you to go with her because she was scared. You went and then got attacked protecting her." Huh, maybe she wasn't as bad as I thought, making me the hero and all. Still, everyone who knew me would know that risking my skin to defend Poppypaw was something I simply wouldn't have done.

"Sounds good," I mumbled.

Five minutes later I exited the den just as Tawnyspots had asked. Goldenleaf was standing outside waiting.

Goldenleaf was very, very impressive. His eyes were the brightest shade of amber I had ever seen and his coat was long and thick. If he were younger, I would likely not even be able to talk straight around him.

"Ah, Stormpaw," he said. "This way." I was still walking rather slowly and hoping that my head would stop pounding.

He brought me to the entrance of Heatherstar's moss covered den. "Go on," he prompted. I nodded automatically and took a few steps in.

Heatherstar was waiting not far away, her deep ocean blue eyes twinkling in deranged delight. I could tell she hadn't slept in a while, nor groomed herself. She looked like a classic nut case to be quite frank.

"Hello," I greeted, respectfully lowering my head until she gave the signal for me to sit. For a moment we were both quiet, seemingly sizing each other up. Finally, she spoke.

"I know who did it." You know that feeling you get when you're running down stairs and miss one? That sensation filled me, but didn't clear up in seconds like I thought it would.

"Oh, really? Who?" I answered, trying to act as stupid as I could so that she wouldn't suspect me. Her mad grin widened.

"No one you know," she said. "I just had a few questions for you, just like I asked your friends. So, what happened with you and Poppypaw." I readjusted my position and starting to speak again."Well, we heard something outside, so Poppypaw woke me up and asked if I could come with her to see what it was." Heatherstar's expression didn't change. "She was scared," I couldn't help adding.

"Yes, yes. How, what did the cat you two found look like?"

"Well…" I started. "I couldn't really see him too well, so I don't know…" Heatherstar then starting to fire off questions quickly.

"So it was a tom?"

"I don't know…"

"Was size? Small cat, large, or medium?"

"Average…"

"What did he smell like?"

"ThunderClan," Heatherstar stopped there.

"Well, that's all I need to know. Goldenleaf, take her back to the medicine cat and allow him to give her something for her head. I can tell it is hurting her, she is acting rather… flighty…"

Without another word from me, Goldenleaf hustled me out of the den and back into Speckleheart's clearing, where Blazepaw and Darkpaw were kicking up dust and throwing berries at each other.

"Back already?" Darkpaw asked after Goldenleaf was gone. He had left rather swiftly and trotted back to Heatherstar's den.

"Yep," I answered. Blazepaw dropped the berry he was playing with.

"What happened?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing. Just a bunch of questions. I really just want to go to bed, you two." They both let forth an audible sigh.

"Alright," said Blazepaw. "See you later. I'll wake you up at sun high."

After they left, Speckleheart gave me some berries and cat mint, causing me to fall into a very deep sleep in which I received the strangest of medication-related dreams.

* * * *

_I found myself standing in the clearing in the middle of camp. Strangely, the dream version of camp was devoid of entrances, exits, other cats, or dens. It was merely a sandy plain with high walls of bramble and stone rising around me. _

_Suddenly, the silence was broken. The sound of rushing water filled my ears. A torrent rushed into camp, quickly flooding the hallow up to the top of my paws. The water rose and rose until it was touching my belly. Then, the real strangeness began. _

_Out of literally nowhere, lily pads popped forth and starting to float around on the clear blue water. The sky opened up, revealing a great band of stars, the silver pelt. Crickets hummed and night birds sang._

_My fears were completely gone. As the water rose, I crawled up on one of the lily pads and rested in the surprisingly warm light up the stars. _

_Suddenly, flowers popped up from the lily pads. As they opened, it looked like I was watching a time lapse. These were not regular water flowers though, but moon blossoms. They smelled so sweet… it almost made me want to lay down and relax further. _

_One of the flower was much larger than the others. It glowed brighter and smelled sweeter. Then, it started to open._

_I cocked my head to side, for there was something inside the flower. I tried to paddle my lily pad over to see what it was, but that wasn't necessary. It was starting to open on its own._

_I heard a cackling laugh and saw Speckleheart sitting in the center of the now opened flower, the white on his fur covered in stars. Then, he started to sing: _

_Moon flower;  
__White moon flower  
__Deadly poison be._

_Forbidden flower,  
__Dark moon flower  
__May it rest in peace. _

* * * *

I woke up in a very light hearted mood. Listening to Speckleheart sing in your sleep can do that to you. Poppypaw was gone. It had been awhile since her nest was cold. Blazepaw, Darkpaw, and Speckleheart were nowhere in sight. I did sense some tension in the air though. Mystified, I started for call for my friends.

"Where is everyone?" I said aloud. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and gave myself a quick lick before searching the camp.

I didn't have to look far. All the other apprentices were gathered outside the den. The warrior were doing the same outside their den. Everyone was whispering and Heatherstar and Grayfur were nowhere to be seen.

I trotted over to my whispering friends. "Stormpaw," Tinypaw said, acknowledging my appearance. "Glad to see you're looking better." His words were cheery but his tone wasn't. In fact, I had never seen him so worked up. He coat was ruffled and his eyes, once large, bright, and cheerful, now seemed hallow.

"What's going on?" I asked, nosing into the circle. Creampaw answered, her voice strained and slightly scared.

"Heatherstar's called a meeting. It should start soon." I gulped. I looked down to see Blazepaw's feet were shaking very badly and his eyes were darting left and right. His knees knocked together, making a rather loud and distracting sound. I stood next to him and leaned in a little, trying to comfort him.

"You shouldn't be nervous," I whispered in his ear so quietly that the others couldn't hear. "You had no part in this. You didn't get caught by Heatherstar." He nodded very weakly. I thought he was going to be sick."I just don't want the rest of you in trouble. Heatherstar will have you banished… in her current state, even killed." His words brought shivers down my spine. I hoped he was exaggerating.

"No, she won't. No one's getting banished because we covered up our tracks. Plus, she can't be THAT crazy…can she?" I knew the answer to that question… why had I even bothered to bring it up?

Blazepaw's eyes broke away from my own and looked towards the sky. I thought I heard him uttering a silent, fervent prayer.

"Well, I guess this is the big decision. We're either safe or not." Creampaw muttered quietly enough for everyone to hear.. I wanted to hiss at her for stating the obvious so bluntly around poor Blazepaw, but I guess it needed to be said.

Tinypaw and Creampaw leaned closely against each other, as did me, Blazepaw, and Darkpaw. Poppypaw stood there awkwardly for a moment before joining Creampaw and Tinypaw.

Finally, I head the call to meeting. "Cats of ThunderClan, gather before the rock for a Clan meeting!" It was Grayfur.

Heatherstar then strutted out rather dramatically. "Alright, take your seats everyone!" she shouted with great enthusiasm. Grayfur shot her a rather nasty look before jumping off of the rock. Every time Heatherstar announced anything it usually involved his family…

All the apprentices gathered towards the back. Tinypaw and Creampaw stood closest to Heatherstar's rock. Icewhisker stayed close too, taking a seat by Goldenleaf and Fogpelt.

Heatherstar took a great breath in, as did the rest of the Clan, before beginning. "Cats of ThunderClan, we all know what happened yesterday night. I shall not even review it, for I saw you gossiping about it just moments ago." A murmur of agreement rose from the cats. "I will get right to the evidence. I questioned all the witnesses, I shall not say names."

Every cat in the crowd looked straight at me, Darkpaw, and Poppypaw. "Anyway," Heatherstar continued. "It seems that this disaster has come at a time when ThunderClan had been rather… turbulent… because of the recent accusation of Nightkit, daughter of Bluefeather and Grayfur." Half of the Clan started to yowl angrily. "Quiet!" Everything went silent.

"Anyway, because of this, it is reasonable to believe that these two events are connected." Another yowl went through ThunderClan.

"Quiet!" Grayfur, this time, screamed. Everyone quieted even faster than last time. I think the poor cat just wanted to get this over with… I also had a feeling that he knew what was coming.

"Thank you, Grayfur." Said Heatherstar curtly. "So, I believe that it was a supporter of Nightkit that has done this. Not just one supporter though, but many. All of them, to be frank."

I was starting to twitch around, my tail lashing and my knees knocking together. Blazepaw and Darkpaw sandwiched me between them so I wouldn't move around so much. That didn't work too well since my shaking combined with Blazepaw's. Swished so tightly together it looked as if a quivering, half dead mouse had caught on fire.

"So, I am going to take care of Nightkit earlier than I originally was. She shall be going to her new home now." Heatherstar paused, strange, sickening smile spreading over her face. "StarClan."

Every cat, Nightkit supporter or not, gasped. Heatherstar didn't make a move off her rock though.

"Now, I shall give you a chance. Any cat who opposes me shall be banished for treason. Are there any Nightkit lovers in this crowd. Bluefeather, dear, you don't count. Neither do you, Grayfur. You are under my command after all." Heatherstar jumped down from the rock. "And I say again, does anyone wish to be banished?"

This was crazy! So crazy in fact that I was convinced that I was dreaming. I couldn't move, and neither could anyone else. Every cat in ThunderClan was either too cowardly or too shocked. That is, except one.

"I support Nightkit!" My head jerked in the direction of the call.

Creampaw stood boldly and defiantly, her eyes locking with Heatherstar's. She walked slowly and gracefully to the front of the clearing before stopping a fox length from the crazed leader. "So, what are you going to do about it?" Than, to my shock and surprise, my sweet, innocent sister spat in Heatherstar's face.

Heatherstar stood frozen for a moment before running her paw over her face, removing a giant glop of spit. "How dare you?" she hissed in an extremely low voice. "How dare you even speak, fox dung? How darn you voice your disloyalty to ThunderClan and commit such an act of treason! Why would you do such a thing to your own Clan?"

"Because you aren't ThunderClan." I heard a sharp intake of breath come from Tinypaw. I couldn't believe this… Creampaw had just denounced Heatherstar's leadership!

Heatherstar racked her claws across Creampaw's nose with all her power, causing Creampaw to stagger back. "You'll never knock me down!" my sister yelled. This merely made Heatherstar more angry.

"A leader never gets her paws dirty. Tawnyspots, Cloudstripe, kill her." The two cats were at Heatherstar's side in seconds, claws unsheathed. Creampaw was in deep trouble; these were cats that I didn't doubt would kill.

Tawnyspots made the first move towards my sister. "Prepare to meet StarClan," she hissed. Creampaw didn't step back. She didn't even flinch. Her eyes, though covered in blood from Heatherstar's swipe at her, still got across the message: _'I will die for my Clan.' _

Just as I thought it was hopeless, a new force immerged. Tinypaw.

He leapt out with the greatest speed, landing sharply on Tawnyspots's back. His eyes, usually mild and bright, were orbs of green fire. "Don't you dare even touch her!" he cried, biting at Tawnyspots's neck. If he were a little larger and had a bigger mouth, he might have just hit his mark.

Suddenly, the whole camp irrupted into battle. Cats screamed and spilled the blood of their Clanmates. It was mother to daughter, father to son.

I was lost in the confusion for a moment, wondering what was going on. It was full out civil war!

Tinypaw was standing by Creampaw's body, fighting off Cloudstripe. Creampaw had apparently been hit again and lay motionless on the ground. I ran over to guard her other side.

Cloudstripe wasn't a terribly scary cat. He was snappy, but not an incredible fighter. Me and Tinypaw combined could take him.

Tinypaw leapt at the larger warrior, his claws meeting flesh. Cloudstripe screamed. I joined in, attaching myself to his back and holding tight. Cloudstripe rolled, causing me to loose hold and land about half a fox length away.

Tinypaw remained on, his claws sunken hopelessly deep into the white warrior. Finally, Cloudstripe had enough. He bolted away. Before I could even congratulate him, Tinypaw was at Creampaw's side.

"Wake up! Wake up!" he screamed in her eyes, but she didn't stirred. I couldn't breath.

"Is she… is she…" Tinypaw turned towards me, his expression one of total terror. After a moment of silence, he suddenly exclaimed:

"Get Nightkit! Get her quick! Look at Heatherstar!" Mostly hidden by flying claws, Heatherstar was fighting her way to the nursery, dead set on sending Nightkit to StarClan then and there.

I didn't think. I raced towards her, my feet flying from beneath my. I landed on her back, claws outstretched. Everything was a blur, and I felt that I was no longer in control. "Blazepaw! Darkpaw! Help!" I yelled, suddenly realizing how stupid I had been, attacking a much older warrior alone. The creamy brown leader was bucking beneath me, yelling furious curses against me, Nightkit, Bluefeather, and Grayfur. Never before had I thought of Heatherstar as a real threat to the safely of the forest until now. Up to that point, she was just an evil, eccentric cat whom I could snuff out in a heart beat.

"No wonder your mother left you! You are nothing but a pain! I don't even know why Icewhisker would want to adopt you!" With that, I fell off. Heatherstar placed a paw on my throat. "Quiet!" I wasn't quiet though. I screamed and yelled for my friends.

"Darkpaw! Blazepaw! Poppypaw!" Heatherstar started to press her paw against my throat harder. My air supply cut off, I was starting to fade. I went in and out of the darkness, not sure how long I could keep awake. I seemed like hours I lay there, looking deeply in Heatherstar's ocean blue eyes. I couldn't see evil, but righteous fury. That made her even more dangerous; she didn't know what she was doing was wrong. In her eyes, she was saving ThunderClan. In her eyes, I was the villain.

Suddenly, the pressure stopped. I turned over and sputtered for air. Blazepaw was standing over me, looking more noble then I ever imagined. He looked at me for only a moment, making sure that I was ok. He seemed rather overwhelmed, but also like he was slightly enjoying being the hero for once in his life.

I took a few deep breaths and sprang to my paws, still dizzy and confused. My mission was still clear though; I needed to get Nightkit. While Blazepaw held off Heatherstar I rushed into the dark, shady nursery. Even with a battle going on outside it was still quiet in the den.

Nightkit was huddled in the corner, looking incredibly frightened. She meowed quietly, but her cry was lost, swallowed by the faint sounds of battle. I couldn't live with the thought of Heatherstar killing her, but I wasn't sure if I could just steal her away. In the back of my mind, I was afraid that it was unnecessary and that I was going to be accused of playing hero. What if this wasn't even a battle? What if it was merely a misunderstanding gone wrong? Clanmates surely wouldn't kill Clanmates over a matter like this…

Of course, it hit me once again that this wasn't a battle for freedom and fairness. It wasn't a battle caused by some random issue. This was a fight for a tiny black furred kit's life. And one day, she wouldn't just be a nursery kit, but a great warrior, maybe even greater than her mother and father. I could feel it. I could see it when I looked at the little fur ball.

I took her my the scruff and stormed outside into the fighting. I was racing though the woods in seconds.

* * *

_Warning:_**Stormpaw's dream was an act of random nonsense that the author decided to put in because she was had just come back from the dentist. Yes, said author was under the influence of painkiller, so she should not be blamedfor the terrible stupidity.**


	17. In Which Stormpaw Hides

_**A Star in the Storm**_

**Chapter 17**: In Which Stormpaw Hides.

_"__The more arguments you win, the less friends you will have__"_

I lay down at the stream on the WindClan border, unable to move another inch.

Nightkit was meowing loudly, though I could barely hear it over my pounding heart. The little black creature manage to wiggle out of my gasp and sit quietly on the ground, staring at me. Her expression was blank.

"What going on, Stump-paw?" I almost smiled. Nightkit, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't say 'storm', so she substituted the closest word she could think of; stump.

"We're going on a day trip," I answered quickly. Nightkit blinked.

"But I hungry," she meowed. "I want to see Momma." I rose to my paws, looking nervously into the forest. I couldn't rest long and risk us being caught.

"Don't worry; we'll get some food a little later." I promised, picking the kit back up. Nightkit struggled for a moment before returning to the natural kit carrying position.

I looked back one final time before placing a paw into the freezing cold water. My whole body shivered and I snatched my foot back. I looked downstream, but the rocks I crossed last time were covered. I took a long, deep breath and almost threw myself into the water, hoping to get it over with.

Nightkit squeaked as it touched her. I was too short to get across without forcing Nightkit a four of the way under. "Stump-paw stop!" the kit cried. "Cold!" I didn't answer, but kept on. The pebbles on the bottom provided great footing, so I was across in only a few long, cold seconds.

I shook briefly before taking off at a run towards the hill that Blazepaw had taken be up all those moons ago. Nightkit still wouldn't stop meowing and her body was starting to shiver worse then mine.

I trekked up the hill using the rut that Blazepaw had taken. I was larger and stronger then I use to be, so I wasn't long at all until I was at the top.

I slipped into the gorse bush, which was larger then I remembered it. The tunnel inside had overgrown as, so I used my shoulder to force my way through. At least no other cats would be able to get to us while Nightkit and I waited it out.

I turned a few circles, the gorse sticking at my eyes and pricking through my wet fur, and placed Nightkit on the ground.

The little black she-cat shivered terribly. "Momma!" she meowed. "I want Momma, Stump-paw!" I wanted to yell at her, but I had to remember that this was a kit I was dealing with. Yelling wouldn't help.

I lay down and cuddled Nightkit in the curve of my belly. My tail wrapped around her, stroking her like Icewhisker did when I was young.

"Where are we?" asked Nightkit after a moment.

"WindClan,"

"What's a WindClan?" It was hard to believe that Nightkit didn't know. Well, I suppose that Heatherstar hadn't allowed Dustclaw and Brownfoot to teach her these things. Still. I couldn't believe that Bluefeather hadn't even mentioned it.

"You live in ThunderClan, one of the four Clans of the lake. Another one of the four is WindClan. WindClan cats are small and swift. They are usually peaceful, but will fight if needed." Nightkit looked up at me, wide eyed.

"Momma said something about another Clan once. RiverClan, I think."

"Yes, RiverClan is another. They are proud cats that swim and eat fish. They aren't as peaceful as WindClan, but not as violent as ShadowClan."

"Momma told me all about ShadowClan. She said that they are mean cats that like to fight." I shook my head.

"Some cats from ShadowClan are like that, but not all of them." Nightkit seemed to almost scowl.

"Well, I don't like them. Momma says that they have bad blood." I shook my head again, this time more firmly.

"There is no such a thing as bad blood. I'm half ShadowClan you know." Nightkit's eyes got bigger and she leaned back, as if to take it in fully.

"Really, Stump-paw? But you aren't mean…" I smiled this time, giving her a lick on the top of the head.

"You see. No bad blood. Icewhisker always told me to judge a cat for his character, not his Clan." Nightkit curled a little closer to me and yawned.

"I'm remember that when I meet more cats." She said. "And when I wake up, can I see some WindClan cats? I really want to meet some. Please?"

"Sure. But you have to go to sleep first." Nightkit cuddled in closer.

"Good night, Stump-paw!" she mewed before closing her eyes. After a few minutes her breathing slowed down and I was sure she was asleep. Actually, I was rather tired myself. I lay my head down, just to rest my eyes.

* * * *

My eyes were heavy and my body was stretched out of far as possible in the small space provided. My eyes were heavy with sleep, and I wondered what had awoken me. Then, I realized something important.

"Great StarClan how long have I been sleeping!?" I leapt to my feet, still blinking the sleep from my eyes. The little black ball of fur that I was guarding was gone. "Nightkit!" I exclaimed, spinning around and darting from the gorse bush.

A strange scent drifted into my nose. WindClan scent. It overwhelmed Nightkit's scent, which was still very fresh. My breathing suddenly quickened and my chest muscles tightened.

"Nightkit!" I called again, heading down the hill in a clumsy sprint. The scent of WindClan overtook the last trace of Nightkit. Then, a sudden yowl.

"ThunderClan!" I jumped, wheeling around. Over the hill were three cats, two large ones and one smaller one. They stood there just looking at me for a moment before they sprinted over, the second largest one in the front. As he came closer, I recognized him as Nettleclaw, a senior WindClan warrior.

I had no chance of running away, so I stood. They really couldn't do anything to me… I was just looking for a lost kit… and hiding on their territory… and trespassing…

"What are you doing here?" Nettleclaw spat, leering at me. The largest one, a dark colored tom, stood next to him and said nothing. "Well?"

"I lost my kit… well, not my k--" The largest tom cut me off suddenly.

"A kit you say? Well, we found her. Willowbranch?" A small sandy brown cat trotted up.

"Kitetail is taking care of her. Are you Stump-paw? The kit keeps asking for a Stump-paw." I shook my head.

"I'm Stormpaw, but Nightkit calls me Stump-paw." The cat called Willowbranch nodded and smiled slightly.

"Nettleclaw, leave her alone. You're making her nervous." The tom backed off at her command. "Now, Stormpaw. Come with me. I'll take you to Nightkit. She doesn't want to move and keeps on struggling when we try to get her to come with us." I nodded numbly and followed a fox length behind Willowbranch.

"Is she your's?" the sandy brown cat suddenly asked after we were out of earshot from the toms.

"No, she's my foster mother's best friend's kit." I answered.

"Well, she's a sweet one. How old?" We started up a hill.

"I think about two moons or so. I'm not really sure."

"Oh, mine are about that age. Lakekit and Gorsekit. Gorsekit looks just like her father." This she-cat was certainly friendly. I liked her ok for a WindClan cat.

A light brindle colored she-cat with a long, thick tail appeared, a black kit at her heels. The two had been laying on the bottle of the hill,. "Stump-paw!" Nightkit ran towards me, throwing herself at my legs. "I found WindClan cats!"

"This is my other daughter, Kitetail," introduced Willowbranch. I stopped just as I was about to lick Nightkit, my tongue still hanging out. It was Kitepaw from Blazepaw's story… the Kitepaw that was suppose to be dead… I blinked a few times, but the brindle cat was still there, smiling happily just like her mother.

"Hello," I greeted, trying not to act too surprised. I then finished that lick I was attempting on Nightkit.

"I'm glad you're come for her," said Kitetail. "She's been meowing up a storm." Willowbranch went to stand by her daughter.

"I'm sure that you are eager to get back to your Clan. Kitetail, would you like to go back with her?" That was good thing… Blazepaw would be happy to know that she was alive. But strangely, I was starting to smell a rat. Yep, that was defiantly a rat.

* * * *

Kitetail led me back to ThunderClan without a word. My eyes didn't leave her. She glanced back at times until she finally spoke. "Something wrong?" I was carrying Nightkit, so I couldn't speak clearly.

"Fine," I mumbled through black fur. Kitetail half smiled and nodded. She reminded me a lot of Poppypaw, but, somehow, I liked her even less.

"I think we're close enough to camp that I can back it back on my own." I said. Poppy-- I mean Kitetail (see how similar?) looked back at me thoughtfully.

"Nettleclaw told me to take you all the way and talk to your leader. WindClan has a message for her anyway." I tried to make my expression appear blank.

We kept on going until the stone hallow loomed in front of us. I trotted ahead to make sure that everyone knew Kitetail wasn't sneaking around. Rainface, a small blue cat with a darker marks around his snout, tail, and legs, sat at the entrance to camp with Fogpelt.

"Fogpelt!" I was very relieved to see him. If Grayfur or Heatherstar had been standing there, I wouldn't have been sure what to do. Fogpelt smiled very lightly.

"Who is this?" he asked, looked straight at Kitetail. Kitetail dipped her head in respect.

"I'm here to give a message to Heatherstar." She said. Fogpelt's smile disappeared.

"Heatherstar's busy. Grayfur, however, would be more than happy to take your message and give it to Heatherstar when she returns." I wasn't sure if he was lying or not.

Kitetail thanked him and they both trotted into camp, leaving me standing there with Rainface.

"The Nightkit ok?" Rainface had a very deep, surrounding voice. It was quite comforting even in times like this.

"She's fine. I think I should give her back to Bluefeather though."

"Bluefeather's in the nursery with Quailwing. I'll take her if you like." I placed the kit briefly on the ground. Rainface reached down to take her. "I almost forgot. Grayfur wants you to tell the apprentices to pair off and go hunting. All except one. That one will have to go my him or herself." My heart started to skip beats.

"But there are an even number of apprentices…" I almost whispered.

"Not anymore. Something has gone terrible wrong with Creampaw. Speckleheart will tell you more later. She isn't dead, but, unglued rather."

"What do you mean 'unglued'?" I asked, fearing the worst. Rainface stood his head and closed his eyes, as if in remorse.

"You'll find out. Now, go and tell your friends what I've asked, please." With that I scampered off towards the den, taking the long way to avoid the medicine cat's den.

* * * *

My friends were sitting in the corner of the den, looking rather bored. Except for Tinypaw, who was deep in thought. "Hey, Grayfur wants us to pair up and hunt." I said, breaking the strange silence. Tinypaw almost sprung to his feet, eager to leave. Poppypaw and Blazepaw lagged behind.

"Come on, you two," I said again. "We have to get going." Finally, they pulled themselves to their paws and followed me out of the camp closely. Kitetail was still talking to Grayfur and Fogpelt. Blazepaw didn't even look at her.

"I'll go it alone." Poppypaw muttered, heading off by herself without waiting for a 'good bye' or 'good luck.' This just left me with Blazepaw.

"Wanna go to the white rocks?" he asked. I glared at him, eyes locked. He looked confused.

"What? Did I say something wrong? We can go somewhere else if you want." I kept it up. "Stormpaw, what's the matter?" My lips parted in a slight snarl.

"You know very well what's wrong. Did you notice that Kitepaw has raised herself from the dead?" I heard a sharp intake of breath.

"That's not Kitepaw, that's Kitetail." He answered nervously.

"They are the same cat. She's not too much older than you, a new warrior. That means that the 'other Kitepaw' was her same age. Do you honestly think I am stupid enough to believe that two queens named their kit 'Kitekit'? It's not even that great of a name!" Blazepaw looked bewildered. "Explain!" I spat.

"Well-- we--I--" I took a few steps closer until I was right up at his face, but nose almost touching his.

"Well?" Blazepaw rocked back into a sitting position, trying to get as far away from me as he could without stepping back.

"She was my friend, the closest and best friend I had. But then Nettleclaw found out that me and her were visiting, and he accused me of being disloyal, which I was. He made me look really, really bad. I was the talk of WindClan. Kitetail didn't care, but I did. I met her on that hill and told her I never wanted to see her again, that this was ruining my reputation and making my life miserable." He paused.

"And I was wrong. I shouldn't have done that, but I wanted to be a good ThunderClan cat so badly. I told you that she was dead because that was the story I wanted to believe. Telling you made it more real. Stormpaw, I wasn't thinking at that time. I was confused. I'm sorry…" He looked at me pitifully, but I wasn't going to just forgive him.

"It's not so much that you lied to me, it was that I believed you. I didn't even guess at such a thing. I can't trust you anymore." He closed his eyes, squinting like he was undergoing something painful. "Now, leave me alone." I growled. "Hunt with Poppypaw, hunt by yourself. But stay out of my sight."

I didn't stay to see what he was going to do or say. I turned tail and ran the other way, towards the flat rocks that lay by the lake shore.

* * *

**Alright, we are roughly half way through with the story. I would like your guess on which apprentices is the evil one. I guess you can guess the 'good' one too; that is, if he/she has even come into play yet. Not that I'm staying that he/she isn't there. **

**P.S: Every story has a few bad plot twists. This story has several. :)**


	18. In Which a Warrior is Lost

**Super, super short chapter here. It's kind of a bridge between "Part One" and "Part Two" of the story.**

_**

* * *

**_

_**A Star in the Storm  
**Chapter: 18  
In Which a Warrior is Lost_

_"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy."  
-- Eskimo Proverb_

I was curled up in my den, sleep falling over me. That most terrible day of my life was finally over, and I could get some rest… Yes, rest… Even thinking it was comforting.

Outside, rain fell softly on the leaves, making a rhythmic pitter-patter noise. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes very slowly…

"Tinypaw! Poppypaw! Darkpaw! Wake up!" Like glass, the relaxing mood inside the den shattered. I jumped to my feet as quickly as I could to see Blazepaw standing before me, looking scared out of his mind. I didn't care though. That little liar could have a heart attack before my very eyes and I wouldn't even flinch.

"What?" Darkpaw moaned, rolling over to face Blazepaw. Blazepaw lashed his tail back and forth, trying to cough out the necessary words.

"Heatherstar! She's back! I saw her!" I was interested now.

"I thought we ran her off for good," I growled. Blazepaw only met my eyes for a moment before turning back to Darkpaw.

"I was out… you know, walking… and Cloudstripe almost got me! I got away just in time and headed back here to warn you guys!"

Tinypaw took a step forwards. "I thought this was going to happen. She is our Clan leader. Of course she was going to come back. There's nothing we can do about it."

"So we're just going to let her ruin ThunderClan and murder kits!" yelled Darkpaw, his claws flexing in and out.

"There's nothing we can do about it. We tried and failed." I joined in.

"Listen to yourself! We're never going to win this war is we give up!" Tinypaw tried to remain calm, but his control was slipping. I could tell that he wasn't himself. He had been running on no sleep for the past few days.

"Look," he said, punching at his words. "There is no war. This 'war' is your imagination. Heatherstar is our leader. We have to be loyal to her and to ThunderClan."

"Heatherstar isn't ThunderClan!" I snapped. A vein in Tinypaw's forehead began to twitch.

"Be that way then. Heatherstar is wrong, but she is just trying to protect ThunderClan. If we can't change her mind through peaceful means, then I'm no longer going to be apart of this." There was silence for a moment.

"If you're are so loyal to her, then why did you cover for me and Darkpaw when we were going to get that moon blossom to poison that piece of fox dung!" I was breathing hard at that point and yelling loudly enough that it might have woken half the Clan.

"We weren't trying to kill her, just use creative means to change her mind. Now that you're so set on killing her, I'm no longer a part of--" Tinypaw stopped. Behind the den was the rustle of bushes. We all three dropped to the ground at once, trying to appear asleep.

"We're going to finish this argument in the morning," I hissed to Tinypaw before closing my eyes.

* * * *

The next morning I was up earlier than I thought I would be. The sky was still gray and mist covered the nearby fields in a thick curtain. I decided to go and visit Creampaw, something that I hadn't gotten the chance to do yesterday. Before that though, I stopped by the elder's den.

"Good morning, Brownfoot, Dustclaw." I sounded a little half-hearted, something that Brownfoot would surely get on to me for.

"Come in." This voice wasn't the Brownfoot I knew. It sounded like he was speaking between harsh breaths.

"Brownfoot, are you ok?" I said, inching my way through. The elder was lying next to Dustclaw, his head buried in her light gray fur. Dustclaw was covered in wounds from the battle yesterday. I had heard how hard she fought and that she had tried to take on Heatherstar herself.

"She's been like this since the battle. She doesn't want Speckleheart to know."

"No, Brownfoot, she needs help," I turned tail towards the medicine cat's den, but Brownfoot called,

"Wait! No, it's her last wish. She's old. The oldest cat in the Clan. It's her time. Don't tell anyone, ok? Heatherstar will have me killed for letting her get away with this. You aren't suppose to let sick cats lay."

I blinked very slowly, painfully. "So, this is it for her?" Brownfoot nodded.

"The battle was too much for her. She wished to die as she lived. Fighting."

My eyes were starting to water. Dustclaw had told me everything I knew about StarClan. She and Brownfoot both. She told me about Thunderstar and about leadership and about trust and family. She had me feel like I belonged and that my situation, no mother and all, wasn't as bad as it could be. In fact, she made my life sound quite privileged. "At least you're not dead," she would say.

"Ok, I won't tell. I'm going to go back to the den and sleep. I didn't see anything, I didn't hear anything. Ok?" Brownfoot managed a ghost of a smile but didn't say a thing.

Dustclaw died later that day, quietly and painlessly. Speckleheart said that she hadn't died from her injuries, but the strain of the battle was just too much for her old heart. I was one of the cats to sit her vigil later that night, and I could swear that I could feel her somehow, looking down at me from above. And for the next moon, everything was quiet.


	19. In Which Danger Lurks in the Snow

**_A Star in the Storm _****_  
_Chapter 19:  
In Which Danger Lurks in the Snow**

_One Moon Later_

_"Let the cry of danger reach the ears of those awaiting its destruction."_

Bare-Leaf struck with vengeance later that season. Snow blanketed the ground and seemed to kill everything it touched. The trees were ugly, bare sticks weighted down under a load of ice.

Darkpaw, Poppypaw, Tinypaw, and I were huddled together in the very corner of the apprentice's den. I squeezed through the mass of black, white, tabby, and tortoiseshell fur towards the center. Darkpaw slung his hip at me and pushed me away. "Strongest warrior in the middle," he said, smiling. I didn't respond; it was much too cold for sarcasm.

I heard a small, high pitched meow from behind me and saw a pair of odd colored blue eyes staring back at me. I could still see the difference in shades, but it was much fainter than when she was a kit.

Tinypaw moved over. "Come on in, there's plenty of room." Creampaw shook the snow and freezing sleet off her pelt and huddled in with us.

My sister had recovered very well from the injury she had gotten in the battle. For a few days, she blanked in and out of consciousness and utter strange phrases, such as, "Orange tabby, white foot. Gray spots, pale eyes," Speckleheart said that she was having visions of distorted versions of me and Blazepaw, among others.

Soon we were joined by more company. "Grayfur?" I heard Darkpaw mutter, annoyed. Heatherstar was always in her den, so now Grayfur gave us our assignments.

"Good morning," the deputy greeted in a rushed voice. "Ice has collected on the nursery roof and broken a hole through it. Stormpaw, I would like you and… hm… Tinypaw to fix it. Quickly though; kits are getting pretty cold."

I signed. I didn't want to work. "Why doesn't he get someone else to fix it?" I murmured as Tinypaw and I stalked out of the nursery. "Apprentices are so overworked. I mean, we do everything. Hunt, feed elders--"

"We only have one elder now, remember? Say 'elders' within ten fox lengths of Brownfoot and he'll start to bawl." Tinypaw and I started to trotted faster, warming up our stiff muscles before entering the nursery.

It wasn't has warm as it usually was. I didn't figure it would be with a good sized hole in the roof. Nightkit walked over, strange black eyes dull. Something was troubling the kit. "Hey, Tinypaw, St--St-- St--or---mpaw." I smiled. She almost had my name down. In a few days, she'd have it perfect.

"Nice to see you. Where's your mother and littermates?" Nightkit seemed to sink into the shadows a little more.

Quailwing had delivered her kits about three quarters of a moon ago. The birth was on time (which is strange for Quailwing), but the real kicker was that she had five kits. I wouldn't in my wildest nightmares imagine caring for five kits.

Since then, Bluefeather had been helping the other queen out, leaving little time for Nightkit. Nightkit was pretty depressed because of it and was starting to do anything in her power for attention.

"Glad you're finally here," Bluefeather mumbled, licking the tiniest of the kits, a little brown she-cat called Mudkit. I took another good, deep breath. As if fixing the nursery weren't enough, now I had to deal with Bluefeather's well known attitude.

Quailwing have me a quick, hurried nod. Though she was quite an experienced queen, she seemed a bit in over her head. The only other she-cat in the litter, a gray cat called Galekit, was wandering helplessly around while she cared for Birchkit and Hailkit. The largest tom in the litter and her pride and joy, Pheasantkit, was tucked close to her belly fur.

"So, I just wanted to tell you two that I'll be back in a bit and not to worry."

"Oh, and are you hungry?" added Tinypaw. "We can get you something to eat." I hissed low under by breath.

"I thought we were trying to make this a quick mission."

"Just thought we needed some time away. Plus, we want to be warriors soon, right?" I didn't know the real reason behind his sudden generosity, but I was sure that helping the queens wasn't it.

Soon, Tinypaw and I were on a trek through the thick, freezing blankets of fresh fallen snow looking for skinny mice and stuck together leaves. Joy. I dug in the snow with one paw, barely paying attention to what I was uncovering.

Suddenly, I smelled another cat. Behind me, Creampaw's slightly less then snow white pelt rose from the bank beside the hill. Oh, so that's why Tinypaw wanted to go hunting. To spend time with my bright-as-StarClan sister.

"I'm going to go off and look for some moss and stuff. You two hunt." Creampaw and Tinypaw quickly agreed.

****

My paws picked through the colorful pebbles of the lake shore. The water was frozen solid for a few fox lengths out, but most of the lake remained liquid. I was tempted to scoot out on the ice and see if I could catch a fish like one of those fancy RiverClan cats could, but I decided that I valued my life too much.

Finally, I saw what I had been hoping to stumble upon. Some moss that had fallen into the lake and floated onto the ThunderClan shore line. I took a step towards, but stopped. Something was wrong. I looked all around me, but could see nothing out of the ordinary. Then, I scented the air.

The scent of twolegs and dogs was stronger then I had ever smelled before; it couldn't have been more than a few hours old. Gingerly, I stepped towards the moss.

It seemed that some twoleg had fished it out of the lake with a stick, for some of the ice near it was caved it. There dogs had maybe rolled in it too, for I could see two or three hairs and smell that terrible odor. It reminded me of a long-dead piece of road kill.

I didn't dare do much more. Fearing that the evidence would disappear any moment, I rushed back to camp to get Grayfur and Icewhisker.

*****

"It was right here," I said, leading Grayfur to the spot. The deputy hadn't told Heatherstar yet. He didn't seem to want much to do with the worn down old leader since after that battle a moon ago. Speaking of, I hadn't seen Heatherstar around much since then. She kept to her den mostly, Cloudstripe and Tawnyspots guarding her constantly.

Grayfur scented the air and the fur on his back stiffened. Icewhisker followed behind. "That's dog alright. Good work, Stormpaw." I beamed back at her.

The deputy poked at the moss with his paw. "You said a twoleg took this from the lake?" he asked me.

"I think… I don't know…" Grayfur took another moment to look over the scene.

"From what I know about twolegs, they like to throw sticks for there dogs to chase. I bet that the dogs were bringing in the stick from the lake and the moss got caught on it. Dogs are stupid, stupid creatures and don't mind dragging extra weight through freezing cold water."

Icewhisker seemed to agree. "Do you think it's a danger?"

Grayfur made a semi-circle around the pile of moss. "Very well could be, but I doubt. There is a very, very old tale about a cat with fur made of fire that led a whole pack of gigantic dogs off a cliff to their deaths. Not sure if that's true, but it he can take care of them, so can we."

"If they do become a danger, can I help kill them?" I asked, my voice mirroring a two moon old kit just learning about the code. Icewhisker chuckled, amused.

"You are a young apprentice, but a tough one. I'm sure that Graystar here will let you." I cocked my head to the side.

"Graystar?"

"Yes," said Icewhisker, still chuckling. "We might as well start calling him that. I mean, he keeps up with things better then Heatherstar ever did."

Grayfur seemed to glow in response to her praise, and a strange set of unspoken words passed between them.

Moments later, Tinypaw and Creampaw came walking around the bend. "I heard that there are dogs on our territory!" Creampaw exclaimed, her expression twisting as she got a nose-full of the terrible scent. The two of them were carrying two voles and three starlings.

"Nice catch," said Icewhisker. "Much more food then we usually get this time of year."

Tinypaw started to search around the moss just as Grayfur did, poking his muzzle barely into the cold, damp moss.

"We better be starting back now," said Icewhisker. "You two have a den to fix and training later."

"But, Momma, it's so cold and me and Tinypaw have already gotten a good workout going through this snow…" Creampaw meowed. Icewhisker was determined to ignore her.

"You'll be warriors in a few moons and I want you two to be the best. You as well, Tinypaw. Now, we have a lot of walking to do." With that, the three of us started back to camp.

* * *

**I'm going to push to finish up this story within the next month or two. Till then, I'm going to TRY not to publish anything new. After all, I have two other works that need completing and updating. :) Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of the story as a whole. Have I gotten any better since the first chapters? How was this chapter? Good, bad, ok, terrible? I think it's somewhere between ok and terrible myself. **


	20. In Which Stormpaw and Creampaw Meet Kin

_**A Star in the Storm  
**_**Chapter 20:  
**_In Which Stormpaw and Creampaw Meet A Relative_

"_The acorn never falls far from the tree. Relations always stand firm, even if disagreeable."_

Even though it was freezing, the afternoons in ThunderClan weren't that bad. Water fell from the icicles and pooled on the ground, making a muddy mess. Nightkit had begged for me to take her just outside camp to play in them, and Bluefeather would have let her, but Grayfur said that it was against the code to let kits out of camp, especially to frolic in mud puddles. Nightkit, still depressed from not getting enough attention from her mother, hissed at Grayfur and said that he needed pick the briars from his backside. That, of course, brought the kit a long stay in the corner of the nursery.

Creampaw, Darkpaw, and I were sunning ourselves on the rocks near Heatherstar's den. Creampaw and I stayed good and still, waiting for something, anything, to happen. Darkpaw, however, seemed rather preoccupied playing with a moss ball he had taken from the nursery.

"Aren't you a bit old for kit games?" Creampaw giggled. Darkpaw looked up at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What gives you that idea? I mean, look at Grayfur over there. He's only like he is because he didn't play with enough moss balls when he was my age." I wasn't sure if he was just being Darkpaw or if he was serious.

After a few more moments of silence, he spoke again. "Hey, let's go hunt. I'm starving."

"And I'm sleeping," I responded. "I never get a break, do I?"

"Oh, come on. You're been sleeping since the sun was just over the trees. Your lucky that no one's seen you slacking off."

"Slacking, huh? You're the one playing with moss balls and talking about eating before we feed to the elders-- oops, elder." I rose to my paws and stretched by back.

"Ok, so if you're not slacking, you'll come hunting with he, right? Creampaw, you want to come?" Creampaw lifted her head from the stone.

"Sure. I haven't been doing much anyway." I leered mildly at her. Perfect little Creampaw, always helping out. Well, that is, if she wasn't cutting work to hang out with her little friends…

"Alright then, let's get going." Darkpaw trotted off ahead of me, but I followed more slowly. I really didn't want to hunt.

The three of us headed towards the ShadowClan border. "Not going to catch any frogs this time, you two?" Darkpaw mused.

"Of course not. Who eats frogs anyway?" Darkpaw made a face before turning back around.

The border smelled just as strong and foreign as always, if not stronger. A patrol had just marked it. Darkpaw lashed his tail as if fanning away the scent before starting towards the small, dry section of the forest with lots of squirrels.

Me and Creampaw stuck together and started to track down some prey. Our bloodlines helped us a lot in this part of ThunderClan. We were both experts at walking over mud and slinking through dark places. I was better though and would always be better, no matter how hard Creampaw practiced and tried to beat me.

"Over there," Creampaw whispered. A thrush was pulling at a worm stuck in the mud. I was also the better hunter, so I slunk ahead and made sure I stayed upwind of the prey. I held my breath and tensed my muscles before sprinting at the bird with all my might.

"Got ya," I smiled, carrying the limp bird in my jaws. I wanted to go ahead and bite into it, but I decided to wait. Darkpaw would call be a hypocrite.

"Good catch," said Creampaw, already turned around and hunting more game.

We hunted until the sun was just about touching the tops of the trees. All in all, we collected only three voles, two birds, a lizard, which I caught mostly for fun.

Creampaw fell to the ground, breathless. "StarClan, am I hungry now," she mumbled. I lay not too far away, looking up at the clouds. It was going to rain again soon, or maybe snow. I hoped it would rain; if it did, the whole forest would freeze over and everything would look like glass and crystal.

Creampaw stood up, her ears perked towards the pines. "Did you hear that?" I turned my head that way as well, but heard nothing. "What?"

"Pawsteps."

"How many?"

"Just one. One cat."

I jumped up as well, and, after a moment, I could hear the sound as well. It came deep from within the marshy pines, but was traveling towards that border at great speed. Creampaw and I were on the ThunderClan side though; it couldn't do a thing.

"Hey! Wait!" the paw-stepper yelled. Creampaw inched forwards, but I hissed at her,

"No, say put. It's a ShadowClan cat."

A red cat trotted up, stopping on her side of the border. The fur on my hackles raised a bit. "I'm not here to fight or steal prey or anything. I need to speak with you two." She was an odd looking cat. Her eyes were cloudy gray and her muzzle was sharp and dog-like. Her fur was a solid shade of ruddy red.

"Who are you?" I asked, keeping a neutral tone of voice. She was on her side of the border, after all.

"My name's Foxface. Do you remember me? I saw you two as very smalls kits one time. I was only two moons old myself." Creampaw inched forwards again, but this time, I made no move to stop her.

"Well, I'm Creampaw, and this is my sister, Stormpaw. You likely know that since you claim to be looking for us." Foxface nodded to each of us.

"Yes, I know. Frostclaw speaks of you two often, you know." I furrowed my brow.

"Mother talks about us?" I asked the cat.

"Yes, much in fact. She seems to miss you as much as someone such as her can miss a cat." Creampaw smiled.

"Could you tell her that we sent our greetings?" my sister asked. I shook my head.

"I don't want to speak with Mother. I have no ties to her any longer and she made it quite clear that she didn't want a thing to do with me already." Foxface frowned.

"Oh, no, Stormpaw. Frostclaw misses you and only did that because… Well, I don't know, but she didn't mean it. She wants you back badly." I wasn't buying into it. I didn't trust this cat. She was ShadowClan and ShadowClan can't be trusted.

"If she wanted to talk to us, why didn't she come here herself?" I challenged.

"She's very busy. She's the deputy, you know, and that's a lot of work. She'll come and see you if you like though. You can visit too. Our Clan has orders to let you pass the borders in peace, so long as you don't steal prey and the like."

Creampaw seemed rather excited about the whole thing. Her odd blue eyes were sparkling and her whole body quivered. "I really want to meet Frostclaw. I mean, I don't even remember what she looks like. What does she look like, actually?"

"White with two black spots," I said, my voice edgy with annoyance. I remembered her quite well. Too well. Foxface could sense this.

"I would really like you to visit too. I don't have any kin left in ShadowClan. You two are my kin though. Half-sisters, actually." My ears perked.

"Half-sisters? On Mother's side or Runningflight's?" Foxface tipped her head to the side.

"Runningflight? I don't know a Runningflight. My father, and your's too, is Stonefang."

My head was starting to hurt. This was very, very confusing. My father was a ThunderClan warrior named Runningflight, not a ShadowClan cat called Stonefang. I was half ThunderClan and very proud of it.

"That doesn't make sense," said Creampaw, who looked just as confused as I was.

"No, it makes good sense. Stormpaw, come here and stand beside me." Grudgingly, I tip toed across the border. This cat didn't scare me anymore. In fact, I was sure I could take her if she turned on me. I stood parallel to her a fox length away.

"See how similar we look?" Creampaw trotted up closer and looked us both over. Then, she spotted something.

"Your eyes! You both have gray eyes." Foxface smiled a triumphant smile.

"See, gray eyes are a purely ShadowClan trait. Most cats with gray eyes come from one common ancestor, Stormcloud. That's who you're named after, by the way."

Foxface made sense, but I didn't quite believe her all the way. My father was Runningflight, not Stonefang. I was half ThunderClan; I could feel it.

"Well, I guess it's nice seeing you," I said, ready to stalk off.

"Please, come and see us soon! You're always welcome in ShadowClan." Creampaw waved her tail to Foxface, but I didn't. I was bitter towards the cat that proved me wrong.


	21. In Which Things Return to Normal

**I think that this story needed a 'filler' chapter. I wanted to show what goes on when, well, nothing's going on. Plus, I need to let the action fall before the next arc. :) I seems strange when there is non-stop action.

* * *

**

**A Star in the Storm  
**_Chapter 21:_  
**In Which Things Return to Normal.**

"_Life is good."_

"Alright, time for some practice." It had been three days since Foxface had tried to get me and Creampaw to visit our mother. The more I thought about it though, the more I didn't believe the red she-cat. Still, the issue was defiantly on my mind the morning that Spottedstone woke us up. "Come on now, we don't have all day."

Spottedstone stood before me, his eyes sparkling and his long, well-groomed gray and black-speckled pelt was wet from the misty rain. My heart did a flip-flop.

Poppypaw, as soon as she heard him, leapt from her spot. "Are you teaching us today?" she asked eagerly. Spottedstone nodded. The tortoiseshell smiled ear to ear.

"We'll be doing some battle training. Actually, though, I won't be teaching you alone. Fogpelt thinks that Brindletail isn't doing a good job of teaching Creampaw, so we wants to show her how her apprentice _should_be performing." I heard Creampaw snort a little bit and leer at Spottedstone. She never had really liked him. 'So, he's good looking tom," she would say. 'I have other cats that need my attention. Ones I actually have chance with.'

"Well, let's get on with it," Darkpaw grumbled, stretching each leg one at the time. With that, Creampaw, Poppypaw, Darkpaw, Blazepaw, and I all followed our one-day mentor to the training grounds.

Fogpelt was waiting there for us, his daughter, Brindletail, sitting next to him. Creampaw bounced over and greeted her mentor excitedly. I did the same.

"So, how are we going to do this? Who am I fighting, you or Spottedstone?" StarClan, please don't make me fight Spottedstone.

Fogpelt chuckled. "Neither; you will be sparing with your den-mates. At the end of the day, we will have champion." Darkpaw, upon hearing the word 'champion' in the same sentence with 'spar', leapt with joy.

"You're going down, Stormpaw!" I made a face at him before turning my attention back to my mentor.

"Who's gonna be first?" Fogpelt then turned to Brindletail.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"What about…hm… Darkpaw versus Poppypaw, Creampaw versus Blazepaw, and Tinypaw versus Stormpaw for the first round?" I snickered. Tinypaw would be easy to beat.

"I agree. This will be a good fight. Darkpaw and Poppypaw, you're up first!"

Darkpaw strutted out, looking just as cocky as I did, and stationed himself on one side of the area. Or battlefield, rather, in his mind. Poppypaw looked a little fearful, and cast Darkpaw a pleading look. Darkpaw didn't look impressed and unsheathed his claws.

"Ready at the start!" Spottedstone called. "On three! One! Two! Three! Fight!"

Darkpaw took no mercy on poor Poppypaw. He ran at her at top speed, only at he last moment retracting his claws. Poppypaw leapt to the side and blasted down the long end of the sand hallow. Darkpaw was at her heals, but, to my great surprise, the tortoiseshell whipped around to face him.

She smacked him on the side of the head with her paw. The sheer shock of this caused Darkpaw to stagger to the left and become just unbalanced enough for Poppypaw to pin him. Darkpaw wouldn't stand for that though. After a few seconds of struggle, he threw her. She landed upside down on the ground.

I think the air had been forced from her lungs, because she lay still and quiet, eyes wide. Darkpaw, for the first time seemingly ever, hesitated. "Get her!" Brindletail cheered from the corner of the hallow.

"One, two, three, and it's over!" Fogpelt bellowed. "Darkpaw wins by default!" Darkpaw nudged Poppypaw.

"You ok?" he asked. Poppypaw rose and simply trotted away, not even looking back at him. He grunted irritably and returned to the log by which I was sitting. "Always so difficult," he muttered.

"Ok, time for the next fight. Tinypaw, Stormpaw, you're up."

I almost strutted into the sandy clearing. Tinypaw would be no challenge at all to beat. Tinypaw, however, seemed less confident. Not scared, but I think he knew he was about to be beaten.

"Ready? On the count of three. One! Two! Three! Fight!" Just like Darkpaw, I sprinted for Tinypaw. But, to my amazement, he zipped away, quicker than a flash of lighting. I skid on the ground and whirled to the left, were he was squared and ready. I launched a second attack, but he avoided me just as easily.

"Stand and fight!" I challenged, irritated. Tinypaw make a tight circle around me. I followed, but the slick footing caused me to fall. Just as I do, I felt a great amount of weight land on my back.

In a yowling fit, I tried to rise, but Tinypaw was crushing me. No, I couldn't let him win that easy. Finally, I slipped out and took a bite at his tail.

"Not too rough now!" I heard Fogpelt yell. Not too rough, eh? I'll show him rough.

I jumped onto my opponent's back and held on for dear life. Tinypaw bucked around and kicked out like a fighting rabbit. I held on though and tried to throw him off center.

I finally did, but I unintentionally caused him to fall on top of me. He wheeled around and shortly pinned me again. Exhausted and confused, I lay limp.

"One, two three, and it's over! Tinypaw wins!" Tinypaw leapt off of me, looking almost embarrassed. There was no time for a 'good fight' or 'nice pin'. No, I just stalked off and joined Darkpaw.

* * * *

"Still mad about having Tinypaw kick your tail?" Darkpaw and I were hunting near the lake later that afternoon, hoping to catch a few mice before the extreme cold weather came back.

"He didn't 'kick my tail'. He got lucky; that's all," I responded. Darkpaw trotted ahead.

"Well, the good thing is that I'm awesome," Darkpaw proclaimed proudly.

"Yeah, and humble too." Darkpaw wrinkled his brow.

"Mad mood today, aren't you?"

"Well, it would help if you would stop bragging about your 'awesomeness'." Darkpaw padded towards the lake shore and gave the ice a good kick.

"Wanna see a trick?" he asked.

"No thanks."

"Are you sure? It's cool. Literally."

"What are you going to do, you stupid furball?" Darkpaw smiled mischievously and placed on paw on the ice.

"I saw some WindClan cats doing this last new leaf. Take a look." He took a few steps back, licked his lips, and broke into a sprint, running parallel to the shore. After gaining about four fox lengths, he jumped into the ice and kept on skidding at top speed before jumping off right before the ice got too thin.

"I wanna try!" My mood was suddenly lifted by his mousebrained idea. I copied him, running along the shore line and skidding across the ice.

Once at the end of the track, I had been thrown into an adrenalin rush. "Let's go again!" I was acting so kit-ish; I could barely believe myself. I needed this moment though. All the stress of the past moon or so needed to be depressurized before I exploded.

Darkpaw and I ran back to the starting point and slid again, and again, and again until out legs were about to give out. My paws were numb and cold; a good thing, being that they would probably hurt if I could feel them. "One more time?" I asked my exhausted friend.

"Just one. I scent someone coming, so we better hurry. You first."

With that, I braced myself for the final slide. A smile crept across my lips and my breath came in horse gasps. One more time was all I could take.

"Ready, set, go!" I sprang into action, wishing I would have been this fast while I was fighting Tinypaw. My paws made contact with the ice and I slide perfectly before coming to a safe stop.

"Your turn!" Darkpaw did as I did, bracing himself a good distance away and making a run for the ice. However, something went wrong.

As he landing, his feet buckled beneath him. He slip on his belly, clawing at the ice franticly. Then, a sickening crack. "Darkpaw!" He fell through the ice and into the freezing water.

I raced to his side and grabbed his scruff. "What have you been eating!?" I was too weak and tired to pull him out. "Wait right here! Don't move or swim or drown or anything!"

I raced into the woods. Someone had to be close; Darkpaw had just scented a passer by. "Creampaw! Tinypaw! Poppypaw!" I called. To my luck, someone was near.

"Stormpaw? Stormpaw, what is it?" Creampaw come sprinting out of the bushes. Apparently, she had been hunting nearby.

"You have to help; Darkpaw fell into the ice!"

"Oh my whiskers! Is he hurt? Can we get him out? How long has he been in there?"

"Not long, and he isn't really hurt, just stuck. I don't want to leave him in there too long."

Creampaw and I headed towards the lake to find Darkpaw paddling in a small circle. "I told you to hold still!" I hissed.

"It's cold in here. You can't hold still."

Creampaw took his scruff and pulled hard. I came in to help, but before I could, Creampaw was already in the water, now swimming the same circle as Darkpaw.

"You two idiots! How can the both of you get stuck in the ice?! I swear to StarClan, I'll--" I stopped before I lost control and thought. "Try to climb out."

"But, Stormpaw, the ice is so thin that we'll never be able to pull ourselves out," said Creampaw.

"Just try. If you can't, I'll go and get more help."

"I'm telling you, it isn't going to work. Here, let me show you." Creampaw placed her paws on the ice and tried to heave herself out, but surely enough, in cracked under her paws. "Told you so."

"I hate you right now. Tell, you what, I'm going to go for help. Please, don't drown while I'm gone." As I turned around though, I saw the tell-tale outline of a bright orange and white cat.

"I heard shouting, what's going on?" he said once he was completely out of the woods. Naturally, I didn't want to speak with him.

"Darkpaw and Creampaw are stuck in ice." My answer was hollow and strained. I wanted him to know I was annoyed, but, at the same time, I didn't.

Blazepaw, being heavier than I was, was careful as he stepped into the ice. "You'd have to be pretty off balance to break this stuff," he said, tapping a paw on the ice.

He than reached in and very easily lifted Creampaw from the water. My sister shook and shivered, but seemed rather unharmed.

"I'll need some help," he said, his teeth full of Darkpaw's fur. I rushed in to help him. The two of us easily pulled the large tabby from the water.

Darkpaw seemed a little shaken even though he hadn't been in the water for long. "It's always the last slide…" he said to himself.

"I think we should go back now," Creampaw said, shaking the water from her fur for the eight-millionth time. I nodded in agreement and started back to camp with Darkpaw and my sister, not even bothering to say thanks to Blazepaw. I looked back and saw his expression. I think I hurt his feelings.

* * *

**Ha ha, not very good. Anyway, expect the subject of the next arc in the next chapter. I'll have it posted soon. :) **


End file.
